GAARA
by CeruleanRipTide
Summary: It has finally happened! Naruto and Gaara are together... but Naruto seems to be having second thoughts about this situation. Luckily there's a festival happening in Konoha. Find out inside what Naruto truly decides to do! CHAPTER 9 IS UP!Eventual Naruga
1. Konoha

G. A. A. R. A.

I

S

H

I

T

E

R

U

Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Ooooh boy. Lol This is turning out longer than expected. I was expecting this chappy to be maybe a few pages but it somehow turned into 11 Makes me wonder what the next one will be like. That one will actually have plot. This is more like a prologue. Enjoy!! R&R!!

000

The sun was shinning and the air was filled with the smell of ramen and as far as Konoha's very own Uzumaki Naruto was concerned, that was the most beautiful kind of day. It was a perfect day to take the initiative and continue to train since he had not passed the Chunin exam due to certain circumstances.

It was in the past now even though Konoha was still being rebuilt. Everything had been settled between Suna and Konoha. It had been understood by the citizens that Orochimaru had deceived Suna and in their weakened state, Konoha had no choice but to accept the excuse.

So the blonde boy with an inner demon took it upon his own initiative to get stronger, faster, and more powerful so that he can protect those he loves and cares about while he was not on any missions. That was his way of the ninja and it so happened to coincide with his own ambition to become Hokage one day.

"Ah! Thanks old man!" Naruto exclaimed to his favorite morning man… the ramen bartender, Ichiraku.

"No, no. Here have another bowl," the man smiled at Naruto and gave him an extra free serving. "I've heard that you've been training really hard and your missions have been upped a few levels recently. You'll need all the strength you can get."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed and the ramen tender took that as the blonde's 'thank you'. To a cook, the appreciation of ones food is more important than a simple 'thanks'.

111

Temari and Kankurou were on their toes, glancing from left to right, but most importantly keeping an eye on their deadly red headed sibling who was walking at a fairly normal pace. Something was up with Gaara; the brother-sister pair could feel it.

Ever since Gaara had been defeated by Naruto from Konoha he had been on edge, shaking yet very solemn and more enclosed than normal. He had not lost his cool, but seemed as if he were deep in thought.

Nevertheless, the two from Suna were not going to chance an outbreak, especially since their location was not the ideal place for their brother to cause trouble and with no known motive. They had just repaired their relations with the country.

They were in Konoha.

112

The sweat rolled off of him and he heaved and his breath shook as he tried to regain himself. He had been using up a lot of chakra during his training. He couldn't give up because of something like that.

…He absolutely needed everything as flashy as possible so of course, the perfect jutsu to practice was Rasengan. Over and over and over again…

To the normal trained ninja eye it would appear that the infamous blonde was trying to perfect the technique or was trying to enlarge the amount of chakra he could control… But it takes someone like Naruto to understand the true meaning behind this specific training.

"Wow Naruto-niichan! That's amazing!"

"Do you think I could do that some day?"

"Haha! If you are born great like me and practice really hard you might," Naruto stated very cockily to the group of small children who had surrounded his training ground. He had decided earlier when one of the kids had approached him and asked if he could do anything cool. So he had went with Rasengan to really amaze the kid…

So the flashiness attracted a few more kids who wanted to see it again… And then a few more after that until it escalated into a crowd. It made him feel good about himself to know that at least some of the villagers have been warming up to him over the years. To know that he was no longer feared or ignored by everyone was an amazing feeling for him.

He now had friends and people close enough that they could be the family that he never had. He had gone through many hard times and many struggles to start gaining the respect and attention that he thought he deserved. The children surrounding him were proof that his hard work and determination to be acknowledged was paying off.

All he could do was smile at them and try to create another Rasengan with what little chakra he had left. This time took a little more concentration than the others because his mind was getting a little sidetracked from all the attention he was receiving.

There. The surge of chakra flow into his hand, constant and powerful and nearly perfect sphere.

"Rasengan!" and the blue ball was heaved at a tree, creating a good-sized hole in the middle of it. However, unlike the other trees Naruto had been practicing on, this one was a bit smaller and the two little slivers of bark that were left to hold up the tree snapped and gave way, causing it to start to fall over.

There were a few screams as kids ran away and Naruto stood there to watch at his mistake.

"Naruto!!" and there was the familiar voice of the one who _always_ caught him doing something wrong. Iruka was standing at the entrance to the training grounds.

"Just look at this mess! These are trees used to practice throwing skills! Now what am I supposed to do when half of each tree is gone?!" He was not happy and Naruto had the inclination to run. Iruka-sensei was scary when he was mad, but over the years, he had grown accustomed to the tone of voice.

"Ehehe, sorry sensei," Naruto gave a trademark sheepish smile and a rub on the back of his head as a way of saying 'my bad.'

Iruka smile deviously, which was never a good thing.

"Oh… You'll be sorry all right because tomorrow you'll be planting new trees to grow here. One for every tree you've destroyed." He could have been the devil himself at that moment as far as Naruto was concerned.

"What?!? That's not fair sensei!" Naruto argued back, " I have to keep training!"

"And it's not fair to me? What am I supposed to teach those kids now!?" The two growled at each other in a familiar face off, neither truly mad at the other, however a little annoyed. Their bond was as strong as any.

Unbeknownst to Naruto though, he had another member of the audience who had not made himself known. The red haired sand ninja leaned ever so lightly against a tree some ways away from Naruto and Iruka. His arms crossed and his dark ringed eyes staring intently at the blond.

To anyone but Gaara, he would appear to be either thinking absolutely nothing or stalking his prey. If it happened to be the latter, Temari and Kankurou were not far behind him. They had been uneasy ever since Gaara had announced the trip to Konoha and did not protest when his siblings insisted on coming, but did not seem to acknowledge their presence. They hadn't seemed pertinent in whatever his plan was.

The blonde girl and the boy with the purpled markings upon his face crouched some distance away, observing their little brother. They were absolutely baffled as to Gaara's intentions.

"What should we do? We don't have the faintest clue as to why he's here…" Temari asked Kankurou.

"I don't know, but whatever he's up to, it can't be good. He's been acting rather strange lately, even for Gaara," Kankurou clenched his teeth.

"What if he slips out in the night?"

The answer to that was obvious to both of them. The question had come more of a complaint because they would have to stay awake and watch Gaara to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid in the night. The trouble is, Gaara is an insomniac and never sleeps, so it is highly likely that Gaara would outlast them.

"We'll have to stay awake. There's no other way around it. If he were to do something, he'd more than likely try it at night…" The puppeteer gave the final quota for the plan.

However, Gaara's current actions were neither of the two that would be suspected. Instead he was puzzled. The only thing that ran through is mind as he observed the young blonde with a glare was: _Why?_

113

Sleep is a horrible, horrible thing at the moment for Temari and Kankurou. It has been cuddling them with tempting feelings of restoration and relief from the burn in their eyes. They had not taken them off of their younger brother for hours now. It was some odd hour of the morning, darkness still cast in the sky.

It did not help their cause either that Gaara was just sitting in front of them, gourd in place, legs crossed and arms folded, his back to a wall. It was like a staring game except blinking was allowed. He did not take his piercing blue eyes off of them, and both did the same in return.

Most of Konoha was asleep save for perverted people and insomniacs like Gaara. This bit of information was also uncomforting to their current situation. It made sleep all the more enticing.

But try as they might, sleep was a necessary thing of the human body, although there were some exceptions. Both had succumbed to the calls of their bodies and had fallen asleep without even realizing it.

Gaara didn't blame them for not being able to stay up. He assumes that when Shukaku was infused with him at birth, it must have been difficult for him to stay awake and never sleep. He doesn't remember that anymore though…

He was used to no sleep now though. It's just become natural for him to not sleep, though his body lets him know that it's not healthy through his low tolerance for certain things and quick to anger attitude. It was worse when he was younger, when he didn't understand.

He still hadn't understood until a while ago when a run in with an unexpected no name made him feel things he had never known. Made him bleed. Had defeated him and given him one of his first experiences with physical pain… And left him more confused than he had ever been since Yashamaru's betrayal.

It was time to go.

Gaara stood and walked calmly to the window and left in utter silence.

114

Ramen by the pound! Boxes and boxes of packaged ramen!

There his stood, clad in his standard white robes and hat. Hokage at last.

Naruto smiled and looked down at all the villagers and he waved his thanks. And to show their love and appreciation, they had all pitched in and gotten him all he could eat ramen! Oh how he loved Konoha!

Konohamaru was suddenly next to him shouting claims such as, "You're my idol!" Kakashi and Iruka were next to him, giving him appraising smiles.

Sakura blushed madly at his side, her face as pink as her hair and her pale hands clinging to his robes. "Oh Hokage-sama you stud! I've always liked you better than Sasuke." He couldn't take much more of this!

Then the best. Sasuke was there… Uchiha Sasuke bowing down before him on his knees…

"Oh your royal Hokage-sama! I was wrong to ever think that you were an idiot! You were always my best friend and I acknowledge that I Uchiha Sasuke have lost in power to Uzumaki Naruto, the new Hokage of Konoha!" Naruto found himself laughing at the sight and smiling and bending over to ease Sasuke's soul.

"Thank you Sasuke. You were always my best friend even if you were weaker," he put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and smiled at the teary eyed Uchiha. And suddenly he was under attack as Sasuke launched himself at Naruto, enveloping him in a hug, knocking him over with a _thump_!

…

It was then that Naruto realized he was not actually Hokage. There were no obscene amounts of ramen. Sakura was not his girlfriend nor was she even remotely close to fawning over him. And Uchiha Sasuke was most definitely not bowing before him and all but kissing his feet… That was damn near upsetting for him. He hated when this happened.

All he had now was a cold dark floor that he had fallen onto during his sleep… Wait a minute… When he went to bed it was light out from the full moon that should be pouring in his window…

His eyes widened and he quickly felt underneath his bed for his kunai and turned, throwing a few at his window. All three were blocked and fell softly to his bed…

The quiet sifting of sand and the piercing blue eyes that watched him from his window were all he needed to identify the intruder. He could feel his teeth clench and his mind started to race at 100 mph. Why was he of all people at his place? Was it for revenge for defeating him?

"Gaara…"

Although Naruto could sympathize with the ninja from Suna on a level that seemed impossible for anyone else, he remained angered at the red head for attacking his friends. Naruto knew Gaara had been ordered to attack, but had intentionally tried to kill by allowing himself to fall asleep…

"Why are you here?!" Naruto shouted at the window.

Blue eyes met pales ones and Naruto felt a chill run up his spine. He didn't expect an answer from Gaara, but he still demanded one from him anyway. It remained a thick silence in the room for a good while until one of them spoke up…

"Why…?" came the cool satiny voice.

Naruto's eyes opened a little bit wider before settling down. What did he mean "why"?

"Why… Why do you empathize with me?" Gaara's facial expression never changed and it was intimidating to Naruto to say the least. It was like an animal being caught in the light, it has the inclination to stay very still. "I hurt your friends."

Naruto's gaze drifted from Gaara's captivating eyes to the symbol on his forehead. It was then he realized that he had been asked a question and it took him a moment to figure out exactly why he did as well. He knew the answer well enough, but to put it in words without getting himself killed…

It was Naruto's time to become silent, recognizing that Gaara possibly did not come to cause harm… Though he continuously kept the idea in the back of his head.

"Me being able to understand your pain has nothing to do with you hurting my friends…" Was Gaara here just for that? "… I know what it's like to be alone…. You and I have suffered the same pains and the same agonies… We are the same in that sense…"

Gaara's eyes opened a little wider than normal. Had Naruto's actions from their last battle affected Gaara to this point? It was a sensory overload for the sand ninja. The acknowledgement of another person who could and had experience what he had to a certain extent. It was something that he had never encountered before and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

The red headed boy had wanted to clarify things in his head… He had been taught a lesson, but it still confused him as to why he was given the chance to be taught a lesson. I chance to change before it was too late…

He was a monster. He had been told so by his village who he had tried to befriend… even by Yashamaru… So why?

"…The same? …" Gaara's eyes looked so sad at that time. It was really hard to tell what his expression was because of his lack of eyebrows. It's amazing what the shape and displacement of the eyebrows can tell what a person is feeling. Naruto could only tell from his eyes, the ones that could have been his own had he not found friends.

Naruto was surprised at Gaara's small reaction, completely held within the mercy of his gaze.

A small, nimble arm shakily extended itself to the blonde, almost as if it was unsure of itself and its actions. Gaara's eyes never left Naruto's face who was completely oblivious to the arm until slender fingers barely grazed his cheek and he was snapped out of the trance and jumped back, startled.

Gaara's eyes took on a deeper blue and he slowly withdrew his hand, settling it down at his side, his teeth bared in annoyance.

"Then why do you fear me if we are the same. Why am I always feared?!" It didn't make sense to him. He was not intending to hurt Naruto and yet his hand had scared him away. Why? Why does this always happen? Perhaps he was never going to be able to love like he had hoped after their battle… Maybe it was too late for him to try?

"Because you go around killing people to know you exist!!" That had made the pain in his chest spike. Though it was true that he had done that, he wasn't sure of any other way at the time. He had tried it Naruto's way before and had only discovered unpleasant things, which led to who he was now…

Naruto realized his mistake when the ninja did not make any harsh movements, but his eyes seemed pained in their own way. He was frustrated at the moment that Gaara had broken into his place in the middle of the night… Even though it was true, he hadn't meant to be that blunt.

"Gaara… I'm sorry," Naruto said looked off to the side of the floor, feeling ashamed at himself. "I didn't really mean it like that. Well, I did, but I didn't mean for it to sound mean…"

"No… It's okay," Gaara simply replied. He understood what Naruto was trying to get at and it was true. It was his own fault for people being afraid of him. If he was only stronger mentally he might have turned out differently… Might have been accepted a little later.

"It's just…" Gaara pulled out a kunai and Naruto tensed, but Gaara didn't seem to notice. Gaara lifted the kunai and thrust it down towards his hand.

"Gaara!!" Naruto called out in fear that the red head would actually hurt himself.

A tuft of sand put him at ease as it stopped the sharp point and he caught Gaara's expression. Naruto relaxed a little bit after a few moments and looked at the hand. Naruto stepped back and smiled sadly at Gaara.

"I think I get what you mean… You really didn't know how to tell that you were even alive… did you Gaara?" His name on Naruto's tongue sent shivers down his spine accompanied by the fact that… Naruto understood. His eyes did not change however they held a source of amazement for the blonde haired ninja. "You're trying to start over aren't you…"

This was how he had felt when he had watched the boy crawl his way over to Gaara with all his strength, just to make sure that his friends would be safe. It was what he was being taught by the Kyuubi holder. All he could do was nod however…

"Well then! I have an easy solution to your problem!" The Konoha Genin has ceased to amaze him yet. Was there really a solution to his problem? He knew he had to make friends; he had to care and create bonds… That's where his true strength would lie… That's what Naruto had taught him before. But he wasn't sure how to accomplish it… People still remained afraid of him even when he's tried to make friends…

"It's really hard, you know," Naruto had those eyes… It was those eyes that showed compassion for him, those eyes that understood what he meant, what he had been going through. "Really hard…" Naruto smiled slightly and looked off to the side, deciding that Gaara was not a threat at the moment.

"Making friends took years and some of them are still just warming up to me."

"I've tried that already..." Gaara's voice carried impatience with it.

"Then you've succeeded," Naruto stated simply and Gaara looked up at him and their eyes met briefly before Gaara's became skeptical.

"How so? … I have none…"

"You have Kankurou and Temari." The obvious.

"They're my siblings… not my friends…" Gaara thought that the suggestion was stupid to say the least.

"Siblings could be friends. A friend is some one who cares about you… They came after you when you and I fought, ready to defend you to the end… That's a friend in my eyes," Naruto tried to prove his point to the red head. He knew it would take a little more than that to convince him though.

"_Friends_ don't take turns staying up to keep guard on you," Gaara argued back, his brows scrunching up in annoyance and the hiss of sand could be heard.

"They're looking out for you," Naruto replied the same, becoming frustrated with Gaara's reaction. It was natural that he would react that way and Naruto had known he would, but it annoyed him nonetheless.

"They're making sure I don't hurt anyone," Gaara argued once more. He was determined to prove that his siblings did not follow the blonde's definition of a friend.

"They're making sure you don't hurt yourself!" Naruto spat back and Gaara was taken aback by it. His aqua eyes lit up for a fraction of a second and the sand settled down as the ninja looked off to the side.

Naruto was fully awake, his face scrunched up after the fight. Gaara had nothing to say back to his last statement and Naruto was pretty content with winning the battle. As much as he felt connected to Gaara because of their literal inner demons, he really just wanted to sleep.

It was a few moments of silence before the most unexpected question came up…

"Then… will you be my friend?"

Naruto looked up to see if he had actually heard anything at all and he came to meet Gaara's face. It seemed to tell him everything at that moment though he really looked no different.

Was Gaara being serious? Did he want to be Naruto's friend? The honesty in the aqua eyes, the sadness, the betrayal… everything was there and the blonde found his lips tugging into a smile and forming as soft…

"Yes."

Gaara looked at him in surprise, fully readying himself to be shot down again. He had been nervously sifting his sand while the awkward silence had continued. Now all he could do was nod because his voice decided to betray him at that moment.

Gaara turned slowly and left as quietly as he had come leaving Naruto to his bed.

Silently he moved to the rooftop, settling down for the rest of night to come. Everything that had happened in those few minutes of encounter was slowly fixating itself into his brain.

Was it true? … Did he finally have a … friend?

That word sent a fleeting feeling through his chest and his heart felt light. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, he had never felt it before.

Friend…

His eyes darkened a bit however and the blue eyes of his uncle tore their way into his mind and his teeth grit together. He had thought Yashamaru was a friend once… but he had betrayed him. He had tried to kill him like the others had… Would Naruto be different? …

…

Could he trust Naruto or would his experience with Yashamaru repeat? … He wasn't sure if he could take that again… That trial had sent him over the edge and had led him into the pit that he was in today. But Naruto had attempted to pull him out of it… Naruto wouldn't pull him out just to kick him back in… he wasn't like that… was he?

He would be cautious… He couldn't get too close to Naruto or else if the blonde betrayed him, he might be hurt again… and that kind of hurt was worse than any physical pain he had been dealt during his defeat… But tomorrow…

Tomorrow would start his first day as a friend…

000

Next Chapter: The First Day

Um… Yeah there will be other chapters don't worry, but I'm known to take forever and a day to update. Lol The more reviews I get however the more initiative I have. So review if you like and review even if you didn't!! Thanks!!


	2. First

G. A. A. R. A.

I

S

H

I

T

E

R

U

Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: What I'm planning to do is develop their friendship with each other first because it would just be weird for them to just randomly kiss and stuff so I'm going to have fun playing with them during this However, I'm not sure what's going to end up in this chapter because I'm just going to stop it whenever it sounds like a good place or cliffhanger (which there probably won't be many in this fic, this is mostly to just settle the ease of my fangirlishness 0). Thanks to YamiTenshi, Gaara14, Narachan, shintas1st, Angel Inu, and IeatChicken for being the first to review on my fic! And if you haven't reviewed please do! Thanks again!

000

A sleepy hand found its way to the jingling of the alarm clock next to its bed and it fumbled with it for a second longer before managing to shut it off. A groan filled the one room apartment as a blonde head rose from the depths of the blankets on the bed. Tired blue eyes focused as another yawn came from the blond.

He looked a little confused at his room after his eyes had fully recovered from sleep. He was half expecting a deranged red head to be in his window. The most logical conclusion for the absence of the red head he came to was…

"Wow… What a weird dream…" and he slowly crawled out of bed, removing his customary nightcap and replacing it with his head band, his standard orange attire to follow.

It was fairly early in the morning and he tiredly made some toast in his home and thought wearily about the long day of training he had planned for himself. The work itself didn't seem appealing, but the results of training were absolutely enticing.

He munched on his toast, still a little baffled at the fact that he had dreamed of Gaara of all people. Weren't dreams supposed to tell your innermost desires through symbolic appearances? … Did Gaara's appearance mean that he secretly wants to kill things? … Or maybe that he wasn't getting enough sleep…

Whatever the case may be, Gaara's appearance had really creeped the hell out of him. He hadn't particularly desired to dream about a person who was not too long ago a murderous enemy.

Then again… maybe someday he would meet the red head again… and maybe they could be friends?

Naruto pondered this for a bit before finishing off his breakfast and making way to the training grounds.

111

For being so early in the morning, there were a lot of people in the streets of Konoha. Probably doing early morning chores and opening shops. The village seemed to get most of the things done in the morning time and went to bed early Naruto had observed over the years.

However there were a few people who got things done at night… like Jiraiya. The pervert was only up during the daytime to peep on the ladies in the hot springs and then spent his whole night drinking and flirting with them! Pervert…

Naruto, despite always being tired in the morning, somehow managed to always drag himself out of bed early so that he could practice his ninja skills or meet up with the members of Team 7.

One would think that having no parents, an orphan would be lazy and have no initiative. However, Naruto, since living alone, has taken it upon himself to learn the basic necessities of owning his own place. He takes care to lock the door, to mop the floor and clean the dishes (eventually). He even makes his bed. It may not seem like much, but for a child his age to be living alone and to actually attempt household care is a very mature feat.

So being the somewhat responsible kid that he is, the blonde Genin locked his door, not forgetting to secure his key in his pocket before strolling on his way to the grounds. It was a bit warmer than usual, making his orange get up seem like a bad idea as little beads of sweat gathered around his collar.

He passed by many people every day, each one knew exactly who he was. The boy the monster fox Kyuubi was implanted into. He has grown to accept this fact and has actually begun utilize Kyuubi's being… And even most people have started to realize that he is not such a bad kid anymore, albeit still a troublemaker. This mostly consists of the younger children who have not been exposed to his ridicule. Naruto has even included himself in the aid of Konoha during battle. It was a good feeling to know you weren't completely hated by everyone even though you have grown up feeling such a way. Though there were still a few people who had not completely made up their minds on whether or not to trust him and he gained a few stares wherever he went.

…

However… This many stares was too much. Ever since he had stepped out onto the main street everyone had been stopping to look at him! The heat created by his clothes reminded him that he had gotten dressed this morning so it couldn't be anything embarrassing… Maybe it was just them.

_What's their problem_? Naruto thought to himself, making a little annoyed face.

It was when a mother grabbed her child and ran into a store that Naruto had had enough. He abruptly stopped to shout out to everyone a piece of his mind.

_Tip shft!_

_Tap shft_!

The second sound of someone's feet stopped him however and he suddenly had an ominous feeling, as though he were being followed.

Whoever it was had to have been pretty powerful for him to not have noticed… Was it Kakashi or Sasuke? No, Kakashi usually gives him a verbal greeting and Sasuke wouldn't waste his time following Naruto if he needed something. Who would intentionally stalk him?

The face he had on was of fear. The possibility of some one strong behind him was intimidating… but the fact that someone was possibly stalking him creeped him out even more.

Ever so slowly did he turn around, wondering who was behind him that people would cower in fear of… He started with the feet, slowly examining the body, shifting his vision upwards.

Dark ringed eyes.

Messy red hair.

And a gourd filled with sand.

"G-gaara!" came Naruto's voice, sounding more surprised than anything. What was Gaara doing here? Was that dream a premonition of sorts? Or maybe… "What are you doing here?"

It was Gaara's turn to be confused. He had gone over to Naruto's early in the morning to wait for him to come out. He sat in the window and watched him eat breakfast, but had given him the decency to look away as he changed. Once Naruto had left his apartment, Gaara had jumped down from the window and started to follow him… Surely the one who had beaten him in battle had noticed him by now… right? Or maybe…

"You said you would be my friend," Gaara held the slightest hint of annoyance and hurt in his eyes. "Isn't this what f-friends do? 'Hang out'?" A slight blush crept across his face. Maybe he wasn't getting the concept of this 'hanging out' thing? He had seen many of the other kids do it. They would walk around and talk together, but he wasn't much of one for talking so he thought it would be okay…

… A moment of silence between the two elapsed.

_That wasn't a dream?!_

Naruto had an expression of shock and pity plastered across his sun kissed features. Naruto hadn't actually expected that Gaara had in fact visited him in the middle of the night and asked Naruto to be his friend. He had been pulled out of a deep sleep and held a conversation, so it was natural that when he woke up and his memory was fuzzy, the logical conclusion was a dream. Not to mention the fact that he didn't get too many late night visitors coming to his door… let alone his window.

He felt the slightest bit of pity for Gaara however. The stutter in the usual calm voice and the blush across the normally harsh features of the red head indicated his uncertainty of being a friend. Most friends didn't silently stalk you the morning after you intrude into their home and ask you to be their friend while they are sleeping… But this was Gaara, a child born into a world that Naruto has experienced; and Gaara has never really had a "friend" per say so it would be natural to be uncertain. Naruto decided he had a lot of cleaning up to do.

"Ah-hahaha! I know that! I was just testing you to see if you remembered!" Naruto tried to cover up his mistake of being silent and confused because he could see a smidgen of pain flow across the red heads eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a placid face.

_He didn't remember… _Gaara wasn't sure what to make of this. Was his first friend turning out how he had thought he would? Or maybe this was just the kind of person Naruto was. He felt unsure of why he was clinging to the hope that his first friend wouldn't abandon him, would try to understand him, help him, teach him, and acknowledge him.

Gaara glared at the ground. Why did it always turn out like this for him? Anger started to swell inside him, but he quickly tried to settle it, remembering to give Naruto a cautious benefit of the doubt for the time being. Normally he might have just killed the person who had forgotten him, but he was attempting a change in his lifestyle.

"Gaara?" Naruto questioned. He had been talking to the sand ninja, but the other seemed to be staring off into space.

The red head looked up, startled at the sound of his own name being called in such a soft manner.

For a moment, Naruto looked like an angel sent from Kage knows where. The sun from the warm day cast a light over the blondes face, highlighting his hair and softening all his features, gleaming in his eyes and over his bright, warming, reassuring smile and for a second Gaara felt as though he could trust everything he had to the Konoha ninja in front of him.

"Come on! Let's go!"

Gaara nodded and moved forward, any thoughts of deceit were shaken away as he took his first step in the direction of the blonde… no, his friend.

112

Naruto decided he had a responsibility. He had verbally told Gaara that he would be his friend. As creepy as an impression the red head has left upon the Genin, he had a duty, and he would fulfill that duty until the end.

Gaara wasn't so different from himself in that Gaara had started off with no friends and a village that thought his death would bring peace upon the world. Naruto had told himself that Gaara was just a little socially inept from his traumatic childhood, and understandably so.

But it didn't change the fact that Gaara still creeped him out to no end. He was silent and eerie, but if Naruto got to know him, he was sure they could understand each other better than anyone ever could. That thought pushed him on to be his former enemy's friend.

So the first place to go would be the training grounds. He had told Sasuke and Sakura to meet him there earlier in the week so that they could all practice together. Whether or not this would actually happen would depend on Sasuke's appearance. If Sasuke didn't feel the need to show up, then Sakura wouldn't either. Though this connection pained him a little that Sakura did not feel the same way about him as he did her, it was a simple fact that he had come to accept.

Maybe Gaara would like to train too… He thought about it for a minute and decided that maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to take Gaara training on his first day being a friend. He still didn't quite get the grasp on the idea.

Several times Naruto had tried to make conversation with the red head, but several times turned into a flicker of eyes and silence. It was mildly frustrating.

Thankfully they were just about at the grounds. Naruto squinted his blue eyes and shielded them from the sun. Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Those two, his first friends, always brought a smile to his face.

"Sakura-chan!" he called out to the pink haired girl standing in the grounds with his eternal rival, not even giving the dark haired ninja a glance. He started to merrily run over to his two partners, leaving Gaara walking slowly in his wake.

As the blonde was running towards the two, Sasuke caught sight of a red mop of hair behind Naruto's head and he immediately narrowed his eyes, recognizing the dark ringed boy walking behind him. A hand felt around at his side for a kunai. That blonde idiot probably hadn't even noticed the pit of evil who had tried to kill them all following behind him. He threw it.

Gaara had noticed the sudden hostility in the air from the dark haired ninja. Uchiha Sasuke. He couldn't blame him, Gaara had willingly almost killed him and that pink haired ninja. He didn't flinch however when he saw the kunai. The kunai would never break through his sand barrier. He heard it sifting inside the gourd on his back.

Naruto was unaware of the kunai that Sasuke had grasped in his hand until it whirred by his head. Suddenly he knew exactly where it was headed. It would be natural for Sasuke and Sakura to attack Gaara. He still hadn't told them about their new relations with each other, not that he really had had the time to, since he just remembered about it himself this morning.

As fast as he possibly could, Naruto threw his own kunai at Sasuke's, hoping it would make it in time.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the nearing kunai. As fast as the triangular blade was coming at him, it couldn't be coming any slower in his mind.

_Ting!_

Suddenly the kunai was deflected by a second, just barely missing Gaara.

The sand ninja's eyes widened by a fraction, completely surprised. He hadn't even noticed the second kunai, he had been too far in thought of how no matter where he was, he would still be attacked.

As the blade fell away from him, blonde came into sight, followed by orange. Their eyes met for only a second and then the thought occurred to him… Had Naruto deflected the kunai? Not that Gaara had needed the protection or anything, but the thought that someone had attempted to save him. That Naruto had saved him from something non-threatening…

It was something he was not used to. If he were to be attacked, most would either join in the attack or plead for mercy.

"Gaara! Are you alright?" he heard Naruto's voice. Concern? The red head nodded his head slowly, but gave no verbal indication.

Content with the answer, Naruto turned his attention to the dark haired Uchiha.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you bastard?!" Naruto yelled at his best friend. It wasn't a yell of anger, but one more of soft reprimand. Of course he was upset that Sasuke had attacked Gaara, but at the same time, he couldn't be mad at his partner.

"I'd like to ask you the same, dobe," Naruto twitched a bit at the nickname. Sasuke's voice held no ill will against his friend for deflecting his kunai and saving the "enemy," either.

Gaara chose to stay put due to the little bit of confusion his appearance must have caused. Obviously he was not welcome by the Sharingan user. Even as Naruto approached the dark haired ninja, Sasuke's eyes remained on the red head behind him.

"What's Gaara doing here?" Sakura asked as well. It was a little unnerving for her since she had been pinned with his sand during their last encounter. She knew of the new alliance with Suna and Konoha, but Gaara was not mentally stable and she was unsure if she could trust him or not.

"Uh… Well, since Suna and Konoha aren't enemies anymore, Gaara wanted some friends. So I said I would be his friend, and he's here with me today," Naruto sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Sasuke and Sakura just looked at him. Sasuke had noticed the bond that Gaara and Naruto had created in the aftermath of the battle. The look in Naruto's eyes then had told him so.

He had heard their conversation and it made sense. Both Gaara and Naruto had been alone since birth, never having friends, being discriminated and hated by their villages… having a monster sealed inside each of them didn't help for an argument against the fact that Naruto could understand Gaara on a level that no other could, even if they were enemies. Even if they really had never talked before.

So if Naruto had made friends with the red head, it wasn't completely surprising.

Sasuke gave one last glance at Naruto before walking nonchalantly past him, hands in his pockets.

"Dobe."

Sakura trots behind Sasuke, passing the blonde as well.

"You're an idiot."

All his hopes and dreams were crushed and he stood in their wake. Was he being bailed on training by Sakura?

"S… Sakura-chan." Deflation.

Sasuke made his way over to Gaara, never stopping.

"Welcome to the club." Gaara was a little confused, but a small glimmer of intuition gave him the impression that he has just made a new friend. No, it couldn't happen that fast… Could it?

Sakura followed Sasuke, but stopped in front of Gaara first, complete with a sweet smile on her face.

"Good luck with him! If he starts acting like an idiot feel free to beat the crap out of him," she happily jogged off after Sasuke, asking him on dates, which every single one was refused.

Gaara wasn't sure what to think about the following… The two had accepted him all too quickly… Maybe it was a way to lead him into a false sense of security. Not to mention, they just handed their important person over to someone who had tried to kill them all… Something was amiss and he would remain skeptical until all is made clear.

Gaara wasn't too familiar with Naruto outside of battle however, so he completely missed the idea that Sakura and Sasuke were more so taking pity on him for having to put up with Naruto's antics. The joke wasn't too important though.

"Hehehe…" Naruto approached Gaara laughing slightly while rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I needed to let the two of them know our training session was cancelled." Naruto wasn't too happy about it since it took him forever to convince Sasuke to saying "Maybe."

"Why?" Gaara was curious as to why Naruto had to cancel his arrangements with his other friends. Did something come up?

"Why what?" Naruto had no idea what Gaara was referring to. He had a feeling that even though Gaara didn't talk a lot, a lot when through his red coated head. And since the sand ninja didn't particularly express himself outside of psychotic preaching's, it was difficult when he started up a conversation in the middle of one of his thoughts. Naruto wasn't a mind reader after all…

"Why was your session cancelled?" Gaara explained.

"Well, I'm taking you out on your first day as my friend aren't I?" Naruto thought that was the obvious answer. Suddenly Gaara looked down at the ground and a little away from Naruto. The blonde was unsure of the reaction to his answer. It almost looked as if Gaara felt guilty… But for what?

Gaara felt like a burden for disrupting his friend's schedule. Being a friend was already making his heart hurt. Despite having the ultimate defense for his physical body, his internal being was easily damaged, especially now that he was trying to make changes to his life. He had been feeling particularly exposed lately.

There was a bit of silence while Naruto tried to get a better look at Gaara's facial expression, which was again, difficult to read without the eyebrows.

"Sorry…" came Gaara's words after a moment or so. Naruto gave him a confused look, still wondering as to why the aqua eyed ninja was feeling as such. Gaara glanced up at him with those eyes and seemed to read Naruto's inquiry. "You had to cancel your plans with your important people because of me."

Was Gaara really this fragile underneath that homicidal period of his life? It wasn't really all that hard to understand though once you thought about what he had been through. Naruto wasn't sure of the exact details on the matter, but he does know what the pain, that Gaara had endured for so much longer than he, felt like. It would be natural to feel so insecure about your placement in life. But seeing it in action from someone who had previously tried to kill you was mind blowing for the Konoha ninja.

After a moment of shock, Naruto smiled at Gaara before breaking out into a full force laugh finding the whole situation absolutely hysterical, leaving Gaara a little stunned. The red head's brows knitted together in annoyance. Why was he being laughed at?

"What's so funny?"

The blond wiped some tears from his eyes before settling down.

"You don't have to be sorry about something like that! I cancelled because I _wanted_ to. You are one of my important people now too." Again, that smile that made him feel like he could trust again appeared on the boys' face. It was the same feeling he had when he was with Yashamaru… The feeling that he could at least place his trust and devotion with one person… But the feeling of trust also made him the more wary of Naruto. It was something that he hadn't experienced in a long time and the last time he had, he had been betrayed.

This friendship was already tearing him up inside. Inwardly, Gaara wanted to believe every word that came from Naruto's mouth, because Naruto had 'that' ability to do so and because he had shown a monster like him the light. However, his abilities to trust have been damaged beyond what seems like repair to him, so he remains unsure of how to act.

Gaara puts on a light blush, barely noticeable before silently nodding his head.

"So if that's the case…" Naruto grinned deviously… Gaara wasn't sure what to think of this smile however.

113

Gaara stared at the soup and noodles in front of him. Is this what important friends were like? Noodles and soup? … He tried to see some sort of correlation between the two.

"If you are going to be my friend you must eat at Ichiraku's at least once! It's the best!" Naruto smirked at him, pausing his chopsticks with ramen noodles in their clutches in front of his mouth. He swallowed a good portion of them in one giant slurp.

Gaara just looked at him, wondering if Naruto even tasted the ramen he had just engulfed hideously. The blonde picked up his bowl and started slurping away at the soup and Gaara gave a little cringe of disgust at Naruto's manners and proceeded to slowly eat his own ramen.

At first bite it seemed fairly normal, but it was the aftertaste that left a look of appreciation on his face and he hurriedly ate some more, however still managing to look decent and appropriate when eating.

"See? Isn't is the best?" Naruto exclaimed as he started on his second bowl, joyfully watching Gaara eat his favorite meal. Ramen was always an icebreaker for the blonde. If someone could relate to him through food, then Naruto would be content with that small connection and could try and build from it. And he was uncertain of what Gaara's interests were. He had known Gaara wasn't much of a talker through his previous attempts to strike conversation that morning.

Indeed this place called Ichiraku's served good ramen. He wasn't particularly welcome to the ramen bar in Suna so if he ever ate it, it was the packaged kind… Then again, he doesn't recall ever having ramen… So he supposed he couldn't say it was the _best_, because this was the _only_ time he ever had it. There was nothing to compare it to. So he figured a simple reply of shrugging his shoulders would suffice for an answer.

Naruto felt as though he had just been shot in the heart. He was glad that Ichiraku had his head turned at Gaara's answer because he would have been too ashamed for his friend.

Gaara noticed Naruto's look of horror on his face and suddenly became confused. He wasn't quite sure of Naruto's intentions of feeding him… Maybe this was part of the "hanging out" part of their new relationship. But he was pretty sure he had done something wrong to deserve the looks that he was being given.

He was about to open his mouth and ask what was the matter, when Naruto beat him to it.

"More please!" Ichiraku gladly served his favorite well paying customer. Naruto was currently however, not hungry anymore, but was trying to eat away his sorrows of meeting someone who didn't like ramen.

Gaara wasn't sure what to think of Naruto's reaction. He could easily tell that Naruto wasn't too happy about his opinion, what of he wasn't sure. So he decided to go back to eating his ramen quietly and leaving Naruto to his own thoughts.

In actuality, the redhead was very nervous. He wasn't used to people talking to him as the blonde had been. It was kind of nice to be acknowledged as something other than a monster. It made Gaara's heart flutter in an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, if he had ever felt it before. He wasn't sure if it felt good or not, in fact, it seemed to make him feel a little sick, but at the same time it felt good. The ninja wasn't sure if that was possible, but he was definitely feeling that way and it was confusing him to no end.

Why was Naruto actually attempting to converse with him? Why was he even here? What was the blonde trying to accomplish by doing this? That night that Gaara had asked Naruto to be his friend, he had been expecting complete rejection. When Naruto had agreed, the sand ninja became very confused as to Naruto's intentions. No one has ever _wanted_ to be friends with Gaara. The closest ones to that were Temari and Kankurou… but there was always that barrier between them. The one that he wouldn't let them get close enough to even think about stepping over.

But Naruto couldn't simply be trying to fulfill Gaara's request of being his friend… could he?

Gaara watched Naruto eat through the corner of his icy colored eyes.

The blonde Genin continued to eat his ramen, still upset that Gaara shrugged at the suggestion of Ichiraku's being the best ramen. Well… he supposed the redhead was entitled to his own opinion. He calmed down a little bit from his furious pillage upon his bowl and relaxed into a slow slurp of noodles.

He came to a stop however when he realized Gaara's suspicious eyes were locked on his blonde head and he tucked the last noodle into his mouth and looked back at Gaara with a curious look of his own. It was then that the redhead looked back to his bowl, which was now empty, feeling odd at being caught staring in his moment of suspicion and internal chaos.

Naruto pushed his bowl forward in the awkward moment, turning to face the redhead who continued to stare at his bowl.

"So what _do_ you like to eat?" Naruto questioned him. It would only be fair to at some point and time to give Gaara food that he actually likes… is what Naruto told himself. In actuality he was trying to break the small air of tension between the two of them.

The answer seemed simple enough to the redhead. But when he gave his answer, all Naruto could do was pop a quirky little smile and a small laugh that made the sand ninja dive deeper into his pit of confusion.

"Food," was his reply.

114

The departure from the ramen shop was fairly silent, a few goodbyes being exchanged and a soft nod from the redhead.

Naruto was finally at a loss for words. The ninja from the sand seemed to do that to him… Maybe because he was so unresponsive, Naruto really didn't have much to continue the conversation on.

Why was Gaara like that? Did he just not know how to respond or maybe that was just the way the red headed ninja was? Maybe Gaara was just naturally a silent person…

Or perhaps they were just too different to carry on a proper conversation…

Something struck Naruto as he traveled down one of the many roads of Konoha, sand ninja slowly walking behind him and he stopped in his tracks.

Were they really that different?

Naruto took a look at the light-eyed boy standing behind him, arms crossed across his chest with confusion located in his eyes. He looked kind of cool with the gourd on his back, his hair lightly ruffled by the wind.

Were they really all that different?

Naruto's pain was Gaara's pain. He recalled having experienced that for himself during their battle together. He wasn't sure of the details of Gaara's past… but that pain he saw in those icy eyes was so familiar. It was something that only someone who had experienced what the blonde had when he was younger, could feel. Someone who had inevitably not seen the light, as faint as it had been for the blonde Genin. Someone who had endured that pain longer than he…

Naruto cast a guilty look in Gaara's direction.

Were they really so different that they couldn't hold a conversation?

There was something they were similar in… Even though the red head didn't talk much, he could still give both of them something to relate to. Something for conversation… and someone for Gaara to hold on to.

Naruto continued to look at the redhead, whose expression had not changed in the past few minutes of his soul searching.

"Oi… Gaara," Gaara looked up at the mention of his name. Naruto smiled at him.

"Come on. I want to show you some stuff," the blonde held the other's gaze for a moment or two before starting off in the direction of a place that was very special to him.

Gaara allowed himself to be lead to wherever the blonde wanted to take him. This was definitely more than he ever did in a day. So it was particularly entertaining to him for the most part. However, the mental stress it laid upon him was eating at him slowly.

Naruto jogged down the roads, not wanting to waste any daylight. Gaara wasn't too keen on jogging down the roads and settled for walking swiftly behind the blonde, staring at his back in curiosity. What was the blonde going to show him?

Again with the "why's."

It took them a good fifteen minutes to get where Naruto wanted to take Gaara. He had all the intentions in the world of trying to be friends with the red headed sand ninja. It was difficult when their personalities were so different, but they related on another level that no one else could really understand, not that they've really talked about it much or anything… However this is when the thought occurred to him.

Naruto stopped in front of their destination. Heaving. Not because the run had taken the air out of him, but because of excitement, and nervousness. The thought of being able to really associate with Gaara was sending sparks through him.

Sabaku no Gaara.

A name associated with fear, death, and bloodied sand. And Naruto was friends with him. Naruto could be _friends_ with _him_. Naruto wanted to give something to Gaara, something important to him that he hasn't really talked about with anyone… But he thinks it would be something that Gaara of all people would appreciate and would be able to relate to. Something they could base their friendship on.

It was a school to Gaara.

A school like any other school. Schools reminded him of the pain of the past. How the teachers would never correct him if he were wrong, afraid for their lives. How no one would sit next to him or team up with him on group projects. How he would find notes about him people had written in class, referring to him "the monster." Schools were full of pains for him.

Gaara's face never changed expression when they arrived at their destination, but his eyes held his thoughts. Naruto looked at him and smiled softly and then looked at the school.

"I wanted to show you my struggle," the blonde started.

Gaara looked at Naruto, somewhat startled from his thoughts, but never showing it. He gazed at the emotions that floated in the blue eyes standing next to his own… Something familiar passing by as he looked at them.

"This is my school. This is the school where I was laughed at because I was a joker. And criticized because I was a failure," Naruto paused, pain flowing into his voice. It was a pain that no longer made residence in his life, but a pain he had endured once. He turned and looked at Gaara.

"I was never really accepted as a ninja here… Everything I did, all the things I tried… I was just looked down on by my classmates. I was never good enough. Even though I tried so hard," a sad and beautiful smile graced his face.

"Here is where I trained to be the best and be accepted. This is where my struggle took place."

All Gaara could do was look at Naruto with his passive, normal face. Though his wheels were ticking.

Why was Naruto telling him all this? This pain that was similar to his own. Both of them had been shredded from the inside at schools. _Both_ of them… A small piece of him felt less lonely knowing that someone else out there was the same.

But still… why him? Why Gaara, of all people? … Did Naruto trust him with this knowledge? With his pain? It was not that Gaara didn't understand the blonde's experience… it was why he would bother to tell him that troubled him. Was this Naruto's way of saying he's a friend? …

What could he say to something like that? He felt the same way as the blonde. But what could he say? Should he even saying at all? Maybe the blonde was really trying to get something off his chest and Gaara, who doesn't really talk much and could understand what he was talking about, was the perfect candidate?

As far as he knew, friends were able to tell other friends how they were feeling… And Naruto had told him that he was one of his "important people" now… That thought send shivers down his spine and made his heart twist in strange ways that felt oddly pleasing.

But a thought struck him. What if that really wasn't Naruto's intention? When had it ever been _anyone's_ intention to be Gaara's friend? To open up to Gaara of all people? What was Naruto's true intention with all of this talk? Why was he doing this? He could feel an unpleasant feeling start to seep its way into his somewhat happy mood from somewhere in the back of his mind, traveling fairly quickly through his veins towards the area where his heart supposedly was.

The blonde furrowed his brows slightly, his bottom lip sticking out a little in annoyance. He had just told Gaara they were the same in hopes that the redhead would open up a little more. Be a little more talkative if he had something to relate to. Or even nod his head in acknowledgement that the blonde had even said something.

This subject was something important to Naruto, and for the redhead to shirk it off like that irked him to no end. Maybe he needed more…

Naruto threw on a smile. "Come with me." Gaara said nothing yet again, but followed anyways.

They didn't go far, just to the other end of the school. Gaara looked around for something that Naruto could be showing him. There was nothing out of the ordinary it seemed.

His aqua eyes glanced at the blonde to inquiry as to what he was looking for. He saw blue eyes gazing solemnly towards the shadows near the trees. A wooden swing hung loosely in the trees… Was that it?

"This… this here," a sun kissed hand reached out and lightly touched the rope that held it up. "Is my pain… This is where I found out that all my studying… All my struggle… No matter how hard I tried, it hadn't paid off… I remember sitting here, watching all the parents with their kids, congratulating them and praising them for graduating to Genin…"

Naruto gave a sad smile as he sat down on the swing like he always did. "Not only did I not become a Genin that day, my failure standing out more than normal… I remembered how alone I really was. All those parents with their kids… I never had any of that." He gave a bitter snort.

"I would've given anything to have at least one of them acknowledge me and tell me that I could do it. That I just needed to keep going. It was hard… my pain, that is."

Gaara again was left speechless. And though he remained silent on the outside, his mind was whirring by so fast, he couldn't keep up with all the thoughts running around.

Why? Why? Why? Was he trying to lure him into a false sense of security? Was he going to betray him later? Was Naruto going to tell him at the end of these little speeches how horrible Gaara was for not seeing the light sooner? Was he going to scold him, scorn him, hate him? His heart was clenching in something… Fear? The fear of the pain of betrayal was boring into him and eating him from the inside out, though outside, he appeared to be thinking nothing at all.

His hands which were folded across his chest started to sweat out of nervousness.

Naruto glared ahead of him, clenching his teeth together and tightening his grip on the rope. How could he just stand there like Naruto had told him something so common? It was starting to really piss him off. He wanted Gaara to be able to be closer to him, so Gaara could have friends. But the red headed bastard just stood there and let things go in one ear and out the other. Was he even trying to be friends?

One last place.

"I have one more thing to show you," Naruto said, standing up from the swing, strain apparent in his eyes. Gaara wondered if it was good for his health to be telling all of this in one day. The relief of getting his feelings off his chest and sharing them with someone else must be amazing. But Gaara wasn't sure if he could do that all in one day, let alone an afternoon.

It was obviously taking effects on the redhead as well. Why was he telling him this? He wasn't sure how much more of the pain created through his suspicion he could take.

It took them much longer to get to their destination this time around due to several factors. One being the fact that they had to travel across Konoha to get there. The second being Naruto's obvious lack in enthusiasm. Gaara's silent responses did nothing to boost Naruto's hopes of showing Gaara friendship in a way that he had never shown anyone before, because no body _but_ Gaara could understand something like that.

Gaara and Naruto stopped in front of a large mound of painstakingly crafted rock. The sand ninja recognized it as the monument dedicated to the leaders of Konoha, the Hokages.

"This, Gaara…" Naruto gained some sort of glimmer in his eyes that sent a fleeting feeling through the red heads entire body. It was like the kind of feeling you get when you see a shooting star. That sort of mystical feeling. Naruto extended a finger towards the Fourth, "… is my future."

In that brief instance, Gaara completely felt that Naruto could do it. That Naruto would be able to become the Hokage he always wanted to be. There was just something about him that made the red head believe that Naruto was destined to do something great.

"This is where I decided that I would be recognized by the entire village. Not just as a monster fox, but as someone who did something great… You see those faces up there Gaara? I'm going to be there one day. I'm going to be known as someone great, and that's what keeps me going."

Gaara never had thought of it that way.

Was Naruto trying to tell him something with this knowledge? It was like Naruto was teaching him again, that he could change the way he was with patience and hard work. But something in him told him otherwise…

With all the things that Naruto had been showing him… It was likely that Naruto was trying to shove in his face, how he was going to be greater than Gaara. It felt like Naruto…

No, he had to give Naruto the benefit of the doubt, even if it meant extreme pain. He needed… no, wanted to change. And if he wanted to change, he must trust in his new friend… But curiosity still had the question, "Why?"

Naruto clenched his fist in anger. It had been several minutes since Naruto had ended his monologue and explanation. Didn't Gaara get it? He was becoming very frustrated with the lack of anything from the red head and he was about to let him know.

Naruto whipped his head around, mouth open and eyes flaring, he caught sight of Gaara's surprise.

"NARUTO!" a familiar voice sounded the area. Naruto stomped on his rampage and looked up for the voice.

"I-Iruka-sensei?" Naruto's anger seemed to be gone for the moment and he looked at his teacher who was standing horizontal on the ledge side of the Hokage mountain. His arms were crossed and a stern and fatherly face was in place. "What are you doing here?" Naruto turned and put his hands on his hips, looking up at the man.

This person named Iruka's mouth twitched a bit as his eyes narrowed.

"_You_ have some planted to do, Naruto." Naruto was confused by this statement. Planting? What did he have to plant?

Then the former day's events of training with Rasengan came strolling back into his mind and he made a face that was mildly amusing to the redhead.

"Ah-Ahhaahh!! Iruka-sensei!!" the blonde whined at his teacher. "Do I have to do it today? I'm busy right now!"

"Yes you have to do it today! I need to teach those kids something and those trees need to grow! You better have new ones planted by tomorrow! Or else!"

Naruto felt daring today and was pretty confident Iruka wouldn't punish him too badly.

"Or else what?" Naruto threw on that confident smirk of his. However one was shot right back at him.

"Or else I'll never treat you to ramen again." Iruka had a horribly devious look on his face that even Gaara had to admit was cruel looking. Though his threat really didn't seem all that bad and turned to see how Naruto would react to something so… non-threatening.

Absolute horror was smeared on the blonde's face.

Naruto's favorite meal. Ramen. With one of his favorite people. Iruka. Never again.

Naruto always looked forward to eating with Iruka, the first person to truly recognize him as a Konoha ninja, and as a person. He always liked talking with his teacher and telling him about the things that were now happening in his life, now that he was no longer in school. To have those two things taken away taken away from him was positively blasphemous.

Iruka was lucky that Naruto took to him.

The darker haired man smiles and waved his hand.

"Then I hope to see trees in the morning. Take care Naruto!" Iruka hadn't even noticed Gaara standing in the shadow cast by one of the buildings.

Naruto was left in the wake of the older man, completely dumbstruck and in somewhat of a worse mood. His failing bonding experience had been interrupted and now he had to do labor work. Great fun.

115

The walk to the training grounds was about as similarly quiet as the walk to the Hokage mountain. Gaara had seen a flash in Naruto's eyes back at the place of the blonde's "declaration." He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was directed towards him. The look that had been sent his way had an impression of anger built into it. The red headed sand ninja had assumed he had done something to make the blonde angry. But he had no idea what. He had remained silent the entire time.

Perhaps Naruto was just angry at his general being? He was unsure of what Naruto was trying to accomplish by telling him all of this stuff and now he felt as though his suspicions of betrayal were coming true with this fleeting look of anger.

Gaara trailed the blonde, watching him, his face never changing expression, but his eyes held a longing look to be by the blonde's side. He felt indebted to the blonde for shedding light on his situation from before, but now he felt as though the blonde hated him too, like everyone else. How could he have been stupid enough to believe his words? It was that damn infecting smile…

When they arrived at the grounds, there was a whole slew of saplings for Naruto to plant. The blonde had to dig a hole for each and every tree that had a Rasengan hole in it, and then plant the tree and cover it. This was going to take hours. Gaara took note of the time, the sun was setting, casting dark hues all over Konoha. It was really beautiful, but nothing compared to the sun rising. Sunrise was something that Gaara never missed, seeing as he never slept, so he was always around for it. Someday he'd like to share that with someone.

Naruto groaned in frustration at the work that lie ahead of him as he took out a kunai and started to loosen up the ground so he could dig. He hadn't brought a shovel with him, nor did he actually own one. So he would have to dig with his hands.

Gaara watched the blonde's hands go from a calloused tan color to the darkness of earth as he carved a hole into the ground. He wasn't sure if he should help or not and decided that if Naruto needed help, he would ask. Would Gaara help him in return? That would depend on his mood. Right now he was too confused to decide. This day, even though it didn't particularly consist of much, has made him make many decisions regarding his change, that he's never had to make before, and frankly, this was an area that he was undeveloped in.

"So… Gaara… What did you think of what I told you?" Naruto's voice was low and his eyes were hidden from his blonde locks. He had stopped digging because it was bothering him. He needed to know that Gaara was reachable… He realized during the silent walk, that it wasn't just his promise to be Gaara's friend that had led him to try and strike conversation about his past… Naruto needed someone he could talk to about the way he felt all of these years. No one had been able to listen to him, because no one would truly understand. No one until Gaara.

But Gaara just merely stared at him, saying nothing, like none of what Naruto said meant anything. Naruto was just hoping that maybe Gaara could say something… Anything. Anything that meant that Gaara knew what he felt like, that Naruto wasn't alone in his feelings. He needed this connection too he decided.

Gaara wasn't sure how to respond… What did he think of what Naruto said? There weren't words to describe how the blonde's openness had made him feel… Not that he knew of anyway.

So he gave the simple reply of a shrug and looked away from the blonde, arms still crossed. He felt guilty for not really being able to give a proper answer. He hasn't really been able to join in conversation, not quite sure of how to answer. Conversations were not his forte.

"I see…" Naruto could sense the shrug from the other and stood up, patting his hands together, a few clouds of dirt puffing from them. Gaara winced slightly due to the coldness of Naruto's voice.

Suddenly Gaara saw the world take a sharp turn. His vision was slightly blurry for a second and he closed his eyes. What was going on? He felt himself make contact with something soft, his sand. He opened his eyes and realized that he was lying on the ground, eyelevel with the grass.

What? What was going on?

Gaara felt his cool eyes drift lazily to the blond.

Naruto's fist remained in the same position since its connection with the redhead's cheek. The blonde Genin had struck the sand ninja so quickly that even Gaara's sand couldn't keep up and instead, resorted to catching its host.

"Wh… Why?" Gaara struggled to get out as he sat himself up. There was no pain, due to his armor of sand, which was slowly cracking on his left cheek, bits and pieces of it falling away, however, the impact still had left some confusion in his body.

Gaara wasn't sure what to think at this point. One moment Naruto had been expressing his inner soul to the red head, the next, he was trying to punch his lights out.

Gaara felt his body stand up, his arms dangling for a second before crossed them over his chest. Something in him ticked and he glared deeply at the blonde.

"Why? Uzumaki… Naruto."

Naruto heaved a little. Though his opponent seemed intimidating enough, he was angry beyond a certain point at this time.

The sand in Gaara's gourd was already pouring out and sifting by his feet. Why had the blonde hit him? Gaara was new to the whole friend business, but he was positive that friends did not hit each other as such. Was Naruto betraying him? Had he ever intended to be his friend?

"Why do you think? Because you were being a jerk!" Naruto yelled at him. What had the sand ninja done to the blonde that earned him the title "jerk"? Gaara looked very confused as his sand lashed out at the blonde. The orange clad child quickly jumping out of the way as the sand hit a random patch of earth.

"I figured since you couldn't talk about anything because we're too different that we could talk about something that we both know of. That's why I was telling you all of this! But all you did was stand there and act like I said something about a normal daily occurrence!" Naruto looked furious. "The least you could've done was given a nod to show that you understood!" A little hitch in his voice gave away the sincerity of his words. He moved forward to try and strike Gaara once more, but the sand intervened and sent the Konoha Genin back a few feet.

Naruto clenched his teeth together as a little bit of blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He sat up wincing before getting to his feet again.

He wiped some of the blood away from his mouth, managing to smear most of it instead. His blue eyes connected with pale colored ones.

"I _needed_ to talk about it just as much as I wanted to be able to hold a conversation with you! But you're being such a bastard about it! Like you didn't even care about what I was saying! I know we just became friends… But you're starting off pretty shitty!" Naruto further explained his rampage, taking Gaara's slightly widened eyes as a cue to continue.

Naruto leapt into the air and flipped to the other side of his source of argument before quickly turning on his heel and attempting to elbow Gaara. Gaara gave a glance behind him as the sand managed to block this attack effortlessly.

It was when the sift of sand from his front startled him did he realize that a kunai had been thrown at him, with the blonde standing in front of him.

A poof from behind told him that the other had been a bunshin.

"Rule Number 1 of Friendship! Friends LISTEN to friends!" Naruto was heaving slightly from all of the yelling he had been doing.

Gaara was stunned to say the least… Naruto needed him? He needed Gaara to talk to? That was the whole reason that the blonde had said all of that to him. It seemed so obvious that that was the reason… But Gaara couldn't believe something like that because he was too difficult a person… Too much had happened in the sand ninja's life to allow himself to believe that somebody needed him of all people to do something as normal and common as talking.

Then suddenly he felt an overwhelming feeling of anger swarm through his body. He wasn't sure what it was directed at. Naruto? Or himself? … Perhaps both?

"You don't know anything…" Gaara felt himself say. He was trying his hardest not to blow up in the blonde's face. He didn't want to press things any farther than they had already gotten. He didn't want to lose his first friend already…

"Of course I don't! Because you don't tell me! You don't say anything! How can I know what you mean if you don't _say anything_!" Naruto kindled the fire a little more. Gaara just about snapped with this comment and rage filled his aqua eyes as he snapped them in Naruto's direction.

"Because I don't know how! I've NEVER known how because there was no one EVER who wanted to talk to me! I've NEVER had anyone to talk to!" for some reason, admitting this fault of his embarrassed the red head slightly and he grit his teeth together as a light blush formed upon his pale cheeks.

Naruto was about to yell back when he realized what Gaara had just said. All the anger seemed to dissipate from his blue eyes and he dropped his fighting stance to stand up tall. Was Gaara so socially inept that he didn't know how to hold a proper conversation?

Naruto felt a pang of guilt wash up on him. He shouldn't have hit or yelled at Gaara… He had just been so upset by the fact that he had thought he had found someone to talk to about things that only someone who had experienced them could understand, that when Gaara had not responded, he felt his hopes shattering. He should have asked Gaara first… Or nudged him in the right direction. Then…

Naruto felt the corner of his mouth twitch and he tried to stifle a chuckle… However that chuckle evolved into a full force laugh. Naruto even had tears in his eyes he was laughing so hard.

Gaara narrowed his eyes a bit at the blonde. Was he being laughed at?

"What's so funny?" Gaara asked, curious to know. The laugh sounded full and youthful… not like the ones that he normally heard on the battlefield… The ones that screamed out the insanity, like his own. He was unaccustomed to hearing one such as this and frankly, he found himself being somewhat draw to it.

"I'm sorry, Gaara," Naruto started to calm down a bit, wiping tears from his eyes. He even had a hand clutched to his side because he had been laughing so hard!

"It's just that…" he looked up, eyes renewed, but containing that glossy look from the tears that had once been there and he smiled. "I think I understand you a little better now."

This was not the answer he had been expecting. How could Naruto possibly understand him at all from his little outburst? Gaara looked slightly unnerved by this new prospect.

"You're eyes…" Gaara felt his eyes go wide.

"You're eyes tell your story."

Blue eyes took hold of aqua by force, looking into them as if they could read Gaara, page by page, like a book. He could see everything that Gaara was feeling, right in those two pale orbs of his. He felt embarrassed for not having noticed it sooner.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I shouldn't have hit you." The infecting smile remained in place and it took all of Gaara's effort to not stare at it, infatuated with the way that it reassured him that everything would be all right.

Gaara felt his head nod slightly, accepting the apology subconsciously. Naruto's smile filled his face in approval.

"Hey! Hey! Gaara!" the blond suddenly sounded excited and Gaara looked at him after blinking a few times, coming back to reality. "How about tomorrow night you sleep over! I'll help you make some friends!" Naruto held his arms out to his sides as if he were throwing the suggestion at his friend.

Gaara wasn't sure what to think at the moment. All he knew was that this feeling he felt at that moment, was something that he hadn't felt in so long. It was something that he had been longing to feel again.

Happiness.

Naruto was honestly trying to help Gaara. Naruto wanted to be around Gaara. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have invited the red head to his apartment… He just felt so happy.

Despite his happiness, his placid face remained, but Naruto could tell, now. There was a certain shimmer in the sand ninja's eyes that wasn't there before and they practically radiated a smile on the other ninja's face in the blonde's mind.

Gaara nodded.

Naruto gave a few shouts of joy of his own. He had never actually had someone spend the night at his place and it would be an exciting new experience for not just Gaara, but himself too.

Naruto knelt back down to continue digging so that he would be able to prepare his home for Gaara's stay.

"Sabaku taiso!"

The ground caved in a little bit where Naruto's hands had been. The blonde fell back a little bit and looked over to Gaara, who was hunched over, about a foot away from the hole, hands on the ground.

Gaara stared at the small hole for a minute more before looking over at Naruto, meeting his blue eyes. It took a moment for Naruto to get the idea and then he smirked and nodded before placing the sapling in the ground and covered it back up with dirt.

116

It was late. The sun had already set and the starts and moon had come out to play. Temari and Kankurou sat at the kitchen table of the apartment they were staying at for the while that they were in Konoha.

Both had awoken to an empty room and didn't panic immediately, more angered at themselves for being too weak and falling asleep… It was when Gaara didn't arrive back by early evening that the two really started to worry.

What if something had happened to their little brother? The two had been trying so hard ever since becoming Genin to make up for not being there for their brother. All that pain and loneliness that their dear red headed sibling had to endure alone… The two wished that they could have been there for him.

All they could do now in their current state was watch over him, make sure he didn't do anything to hurt anyone or himself…

The light blow of wind indicated an intruder. Temari immediately stood up, rushing to the other room to confirm her suspicions.

There crouched Gaara in the window, the moonlight illuminating his presence. Kankurou followed Temari into the other room. His eyes widened a little bit and Gaara climbed out of the window and into the apartment. They weren't sure when or why, but their little brother had been making a habit of entering their home through the windows instead of doors.

"Gaara! We were worried about -!" Temari was cut short by the cold glare that the youngest sand sibling had sent her way.

"Gaara…" Kankurou's eyebrows turned up slightly, showing a little hurt from his brother's reaction.

"Siblings could be friends. A friend is some one who cares about you… They came after you when you and I fought, ready to defend you to the end… That's a friend in my eyes."

Naruto's words came back to haunt him.

His look changed warily from cold to some form of confusion as he debated his course of action. Maybe he would give them a try…

Upon his decision he looked to the ground, finding the carpet slightly more interesting than the tension in the room.

"Sorry…" It was quiet. It was quiet, but it was loud enough for both of the siblings to hear and the two older ones lifted their heads, eyes wide.

Gaara felt the heavy weight of their looks and he winced inwardly. He knew he was right about them. They were scared like everyone else was… even if he tried himself.

Suddenly, the oppression of the eyes was lifted and Gaara looked up at the two and a surprise waited for him.

Two soft smiles.

Gaara was slightly taken aback by this turn of events. Temari and Kankurou smiled at him. They _smiled_ at him.

"It's okay, Gaara. We just wanted to know you were okay," Kankurou broke the silence.

"Just let us know where you're going next time, okay?" Temari added a little bravely.

Gaara felt as if he were caught like a deer in headlights while the happiness and wonder he felt coursed through his veins… He felt compelled to do something he hadn't done in a long time, and was unsure if he could even do it anymore…

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upward slightly, before it retreated. It seemed it would take some practice… Gaara settled for a mere nod for the night and retreated himself to his quarters.

Temari and Kankurou watched their brother's back fade into the darkness of the hallway. Once they were sure Gaara was out of ear shot, they quickly turned to each other, whispering, just in case.

"Did you see that?!" Temari exclaimed to her brother.

"Did Gaara just attempt to-," Kankurou couldn't even bring himself to see it.

The two sat in a moment of eager silence before two sets of light blushes on their faces appeared. The image of their darling little sibling smiling was indeed very cute…

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Next Chapter: Sleep Over

A/N: If you thought Gaara seemed a little mentally unstable, as in his thoughts kept changing all too easily, then good. I did my job.  lol Gaara's transition from his psychotic stage to his more passive one didn't happen over night and I was trying to show how his thought patterns were kind of erratic during that time period. Eventually when he gets a clear set mind he will become more stable thought wise and then start to realize stuffs. Thank you again for those who have reviewed. Even if you didn't like it, REVIEW ME!! PLEEAAAASE!! It totally brightens my day! Lol And HOMG!! I did NOT expect it to go this far… Makes me fear the next chapter lol


	3. Sleep

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Omg thanks so much for the reviews!! They all meant a lot to me! And I wasn't sure what color to label his eyes as because in some pictures and stuff they looked green, and then on the poster that I got at Conneticon, they were blue… So I went with blue, but if you guys want, I'll totally change it to green. Thanks for letting me know the preferred/ actual color! Again, I can't thank you enough for the reviews!! I can't tell you enough how much those motivate me to keep writing! I hope this one doesn't end up as 25 pgs though As much as I love writing it, that was painstaking. Lol Hope you enjoy this one as well!!

000

"_So Gaara… What time do you want to get together?"_

_A simple shrug, "I don't care."_

"_Okay then! Noon time! Meet me at my man Ichiraku's!"_

_A simple nod. _

"_Well, then I guess I'll see you then! Bye!"_

That's pretty much the conversation that Gaara had remembered. Ichiraku's at noontime was all he really needed to know.

Gaara was positively restless. The moment he had gotten back into his own room, he immediately started packing things of what he thought he should bring to this "sleep over." Excitement was probably the word to describe the way he was feeling.

It was a feeling that overwhelmed his entire being, threatening to burst him from the inside out. He almost wondered if this is what his former victims had felt like right before he killed them.

No one in his entire life had dared to talk to him out of their own free will, let alone invite him to their homes. He was shaking physically to know that he would actually be going to a house that wasn't his own. It meant that someone trusted him enough and was comfortable enough to allow a monster like him in their home.

_Naruto…_ Gaara looked at the time… If he took his time getting to the meeting place, he would arrive about half an hour early, but he couldn't take the anticipation much longer. He doesn't remember ever being so excited to not kill.

Gaara picked up a small bag that contained a few things he considered daily necessities and slung it loosely over one shoulder before stepping out of his room, gourd forming on his back. He silently shut the door of the room he had been staying in.

Temari and Kankurou sat at the kitchen table of the apartment they were renting for the time being. Both were eating their breakfast, deciding to rise later in the morning on their semi-vacation.

Gaara entered the kitchen area, arms crossed with a one-track mind, not bothering to cast a glance to his brother and sister. Kankurou and Temari looked up as he came in, but neither said anything at first, still hesitant to interfere with Gaara's life at the moment.

"Gaara?… " Temari decided to take the initiative to be daring. She watched her red headed sibling take a few more steps before stopping and slightly tilting his head to the side so that one green orb was slightly visible, in a gesture that seemed to acknowledge that Temari was talking to him. She swallowed her gulp so as not to make her brother uncomfortable. "Where are you going?" Her voice held some sort of concern.

Gaara stared at his siblings for a moment longer, almost as if he were debating on his answer, looking carefully for the right words.

"Naruto," was his only response and he kept heading for the window. Kankurou was left a little shocked by this, not expecting his brother to be doing anything with the boy who had defeated him. Whatever was up, couldn't be good, he assumed…

… Then again… Kankurou's heart warmed slightly at the thought of his younger brother attempting a smile. Ever since Gaara had spoken with the blonde on that fateful day, his brother had seemed very unstable, but calm in some way. He was different, in fact, he had even apologized directly to Temari and himself after he had lost that battle. And now Gaara was attempting things that he had never done before… Maybe an association with the blonde Konoha ninja wouldn't be so bad for his brother.

Temari and Kankurou found their gaze start to drift to the uncustomary bag slung over their red headed brother's shoulder, a look of curiosity gracing both of their faces. What could Gaara have in that pack?

Gaara hopped up onto the windowsill, opening it enough for him to jump out of it, and he paused, turning his head back to look at his siblings again.

"I won't be back until tomorrow," he decided to add, almost as if reading their minds.

Kankurou and Temari looked at him, amazed that he had forked over that small bit of information without being pried. A small break of silence passed through the three of them. It was an overwhelming feeling for the two older siblings and they were sure it was also a very odd sensation for their youngest as well.

Temari let out a little sigh and gave him a small smile.

"Have fun, Gaara." She saw her brother give her a nod as he disappeared out of sight from the window.

Temari and Kankurou looked at each other… What was he up to?

111

Naruto was panicking. He had been asking everyone. Absolutely everyone.

Naruto waited outside his best friend's house, shifting back and forth nervously. He had just knocked on the Uchiha's door, waiting anxiously for an answer.

_When the soft 'pit pat' of footsteps could be heard, Naruto's face lit up for a second before squinting to their fox like state and donning a sheepish look while rubbing his sweaty hands together. His whisker like markings extenuated his mischievous appearance. _

_The door clicked as a sign of unlocking and the handle turned, the door opening to reveal none other than Sasuke. _

_The Uchiha looked slightly surprised by the presence of the Kyuubi holder. _

"_Ano… Sasuke, I have a favor to ask," Naruto started._

"_No." Came the swift reply, accompanied by a door slamming in his face. _

"_Ah-ah! Sasuke-teme! You didn't even listen!" Naruto dropped his look and replaced it with one of irritation and slight anger. _

"_Don't need to," there was a muffled reply behind the door. Though he would never admit to it, the dark haired ninja was somewhat upset at the blond for ditching him to spend time with the former mass murderer. He had been looking forward to training and sparring with someone worthwhile and wasn't about to do anything to subject to his friend. Not at this particular moment. _

"_You know what? Sometimes you're a real bastard, you know that?" Naruto spat at his friend, expressing his hint of irritancy with the Sharingan user. _

_There was no reply._

"_Fine!" Naruto stuck his tongue out childishly, making some form of unidentifiable sound effect with it. "I'll just go ask Sakura-chan." The blonde stalked off. _

_As the orange jumpsuit disappeared from sight, the door cracked open slightly and a dark eye peered from behind it._

He had asked Sasuke, but Sasuke was too stubborn to even listen to him.

"Sakura!" the pink haired ninja heard her mother all from downstairs. She turned her green eyes away from her mirror where she had been trying to fix her blue head protector. "Someone is here to see you!"

_She lightly got up from her chair and softly made her way down the stairs, curious as to who would come to visit her. If it were Ino-pig, she would have just chucked something at her window to get her attention, and no one else really ever came to see her at home. _

"_Coming!" she called out in response. Who was it? Maybe Sasuke had come to visit her? She blushed outwardly with a smile while 'Inner Sakura' raged with excitement. _

_Sasuke would be waiting in her living room, arms open wide and a gorgeous shining smile on his lovely face. _

"_Sakura…" he would say. She all but melted. _

_Oh! How that would make her day! _

"_Sakura-chan!"_

_That was definitely not Sasuke's voice. Sasuke's voice was much deeper and less annoying. She had a feeling she knew who it was and peered into her living room. _

"_N-Naruto?" she asked somewhat surprise. Fists were inwardly thrown in fiery screams of "Shannaro!" as 'Inner Sakura' expressed her disappointment. _

"_Hehe, yo!" Naruto gave her a big grin and a wave. Then he looked down and away from her, a blush forming on his face as he twiddled with his fingers. Sakura decided he couldn't be anymore obvious with his feelings for her. _

"_I was wondering… if you could… you know…" his blush deepened and he started kicking at nothing, giddy as a young girl in love, "… spend the night at my place tonigh-," Naruto stopped in mid-sentence as he sensed a terrible aura of death approaching him. _

_The twitch on the pink haired girl's face was clearly visible and the crack of her knuckles rang through the air. Naruto's face held an emotion akin to fear. He threw his hands in front of him and waved them in a defensive manner. _

"_Ah! I-It's not how it sounds!" Sakura took a menacing step forward. _

"_Let me explain!" Her fist reared back._

"_It's for a good cause!" He threw out at last but Sakura's fist was already in the air._

"_Get OUT!"_

Naruto rubbed the now healing bruise on his cheek. He had asked Sakura, but apparently that had come out wrong…

_"Oi! Neiji!" Neiji continued with his training in the Hyuuga mansion, ignoring the familiar voice. Then a thought caught his mind… How in the world did that blonde get in? The longhaired ninja halted after a final punch and turned to the blue-eyed boy running over to him, waving at him as if they had been best friends for years. _

_"Naruto… How did you get in here?" Neiji asked, narrowing his eyes a little. Naruto stopped and put a hand behind his head, traditional smile in place._

"_I asked the people in the front if they could tell me where you were, but they told me 'no', so I went in myself." Neiji sighed deeply, resisting the urge to put a hand to his head, which would soon be aching by the end of the conversation. As much as he felt indebted to the boy who made him see the light, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the fact that _this_ was the same person who had defeated him. _

"_That's called breaking and entering," Neiji gritted his teeth. Naruto just laughed it off. _

"_Neiji…" Naruto began for the third time that day. "I have a favor to ask you." _

_The dark haired ninja thought about this for a moment. Would he accept the task? Naruto was his savior after all, he felt as though he should owe him back in some way, though he would like to not admit that someone so idiotic, like Naruto, had defeated him. He decided he would accept that task, no matter what it was. He felt as though he owed Naruto that much. _

_Neiji nodded for Naruto to continue and was rewarded with a heart filled smile. _

"_I need you to sleep over my house." _

_A bit of wind kicked up and passed through the training area of the Hyuuga mansion, adding noise to the silence. _

_"Absolutely not." Neiji turned away from the blonde, facing a wall and hiding the slight blush creeping across his face._

"_What? Come on!" Naruto nearly begged. All the dark haired ninja did was cross his arms. He decided he didn't owe Naruto anything after all. _

"_No!" Neiji was almost as bad as Sasuke sometimes…_

Naruto had even asked Neiji, but once the dark haired Hyuuga had made up his mind, that was the end of the story.

As Naruto started back to the entrance of the Hyuuga mansion, a young girl caught his eye. She was hiding behind one of the pillars and probably had been there for a while. A deep blush adorned her pale face and hid her light colored eyes. 

"_Ah?… Hinata," Naruto was somewhat surprised of her appearance. _

"_N-Naruto-k-kun…" she stammered and tried to pry herself away from the pole to be polite. Naruto waved at her with a small smile and was just going to leave when a good idea struck him. Hinata was a nice girl. She would be good for Gaara to get to know… and if he knew Hinata, she was quiet and didn't like to argue… So she might actually say yes! Naruto jogged over to Hinata. _

_The girl watched her crush jog over to her, waving dreamily at her and she gasped lightly, tempted to push herself further away from him, but her knees felt weak at the moment. So instead, she dug her nails into the pillar to steady herself. She was beginning to feel woozy. _

"_Oi! Hinata!" Neiji watched the blonde jog over to the future Hyuuga clan leader, the one he was told to protect with his life forever… He was wondering what Naruto could want with the shorthaired girl… _

"_I have a favor to ask you…" he began and Neiji felt himself tense. He wouldn't… would he?_

"_A f-favor? … From Naruto-kun?" she was obviously uncomfortable, the noticeable heat on her face told it all, but for some reason, the blonde did not see the infatuation the Hyuuga girl had with him. Ever._

"_Mm! Would you sleep over my place tonight?" Naruto bluntly asked the girl. The Byukugan user just stared quietly at the boy of her dreams for a few moments, the heat of her body slowly rising a few degrees, though her somewhat calm expression remained the same. _

"_Ano…" Naruto cocked a brow at the quiet girl._

_Then suddenly she keeled over backwards, stiff as a board. _

"_Hinata-sama!" Neiji watched in shock and lightly jogged over to her to make sure she was okay. _

"_Hinata!" Naruto was just as surprised over the fainting spell as Neiji and had knelt down next to the girl, unsure of what to do exactly. Neiji shoved him out of the way though and told him with a slight twitch in his face and a balled fist._

"_Naruto… Leave." Neiji looked at Naruto with his ice-cold eyes and Naruto gulped, deciding that his unprecedented stay was no longer welcome, if it ever had been. So he got up and nodded saying a quick good-bye and wishing Hinata a well being when she woke up. _

_She was such a weird girl, the blonde mused to himself. _

Hinata had been there and asked as well, but he couldn't take her along if she kept fainting all the time…

_Naruto was walking through the forest, knowing all too well that his dog like companion would be somewhere in it._

"_Kiiiiibaaa!" Naruto called out every so often, receiving no answer. It would take hours to find the dog man and his dog. Then a great idea struck him and he was baffled as to why he didn't think of it earlier. He created a few special familiar hand seals and…_

"_Kage bunshin no justu!" Poof! There were about five Naruto's in place now, each looking at each other and fussing, while the main Naruto stood around, hands on hips. "Ahem! Listen up!" The other Naruto's ignored him and continued to bicker with each other. _

"_I said to listen up!" Naruto shouted again, startling the other four and they immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to listen to him, each standing at a form of attention. Naruto smiled at his bunshin. "We have an important mission to complete! This is for Gaara so make sure you get it done. We need to spread out and find Kiba and tell him about tonight. Understood?!" the blond commanded his followers. _

"_Yes!" They surprisingly gave him a form of salute and took off on their separate ways. _

_Naruto took his own path after his bunshin left, also in search of Kiba. _

_It took the better half of an hour to actually find the two, who had originally attacked him, thinking he was an enemy. Bunshin back in place, Naruto looked slightly disgruntled at about being attacked by his friend. _

_Kiba had in place a smirk and a hand behind his head. _

"_Hehe, sorry Naruto," Kiba apologized half-heartedly. Naruto wasn't about ready to forgive him for the bite mark that was on his arm at the moment. _

"_Next time sniff before you bite!" Naruto retorted at the boy and Kiba made an audible growl in his throat while Akamaru gave a little 'Arf!' of his own. "Whatever," the blonde let out a huff of irritation. _

"_So what's up? Why were you out here looking for me?" Kiba decided to drop the anger act and get to the point. Immediately, as the subject was changed, Naruto's face lightened up._

"_Well, I was wondering. I have a friend…" he decided to try and explain outright this time what the purpose of sleeping over his house served. No one else would let him explain after he asked them, so he decided to explain before. "… and he has no other friends-."_

"_Are you asking me for advice?" Kiba interrupted the blonde's explanation. _

"_No way! Why would I come to you for advice of all people! You'd tell me to sniff their butt or something!" Naruto retaliated. Kiba let out a snarl of anger at the blonde, but he really couldn't blame him… that _was_ the first solution that came to mind. The Inuzuka dropped his anger and acknowledged the little lick that his dog companion gave him. _

"_Anyways… He has no friends and I was thinking of introducing him to some of mine, you know? At a sleep over." Naruto finally explained. Kiba was a little shocked to say the least. He and Naruto always fought with each other when they were together because both were so stubborn and thought in completely different ways. He considered himself to be one of the blonde's few friends, but neither spent much time with each other and for the blonde Genin to be asking him of all people was a little surprising to him._

_After about a moment in thought, Kiba let a little fanged smirk grace his face. _

"_Sure, why not?" Naruto's face shone with a pure sense of happiness. Akamaru yelped happily, enjoying the overwhelming feeling that Naruto was emitting. _

"_Alright!" Naruto cheered, throwing an arm up in the air for emphasis. _

"_So, what friend is this? Do we know him?" Kiba decided to ask after a few minutes of watching the blonde express his joy. _

"_Ah, Gaara. So you do kind of know him," Naruto said, not thinking much of it. Kiba tensed and Akamaru hid behind Kiba's leg, making some whining noises._

"_G-Gaara? Gaara of the Desert, Gaara?" Kiba questioned, trying to clarify the situation. Of course he already knew the answer, not many people were given the name Gaara… But when had Naruto befriended the fiend? Last time he checked up, the blonde and the red head had been trying to kill each other. _

"_Mm." Naruto said in response, not picking up Kiba's distress right away and he started to move away from the two, as if to say 'Come on. Let's get going.'_

"_Naruto…" Naruto turned back and faced Kiba, responding to the soft way that the dog man had said his name. Blue eyes met guilty slit ones and Naruto knew what they meant._

"_I can't do it knowing it's him, Naruto," Kiba looked down slightly apologetic, Akamaru adding in a small bark or two. Naruto felt himself anger a little. "I've seen what he can do and… I guess I'm just not ready to be friends with someone like him." Naruto visibly tensed and looked away. He knew and understood well enough what Kiba meant. Gaara had done some pretty gruesome things he recalled and it should be no surprise that some might still be frightened of him… Though it still angered him either way._

_Naruto clenched his fists into balls and grit his teeth, looking to the side. _

"_Ah. Gotcha," was all the blonde said, turning back away and heading for town again. Kiba watched Naruto disappear into the foliage while Akamaru licked his hand. _

Kiba had declined the favor after knowing who he would be spending time with. Kiba just wasn't ready to be friends with a former killer and it was understandable.

Naruto had spent some time looking for Shino, but the bug user could not be found. And frankly, Tenten and Ino scared him. Tenten was a violent young girl and he feared that she might set Gaara off, while Ino's mind switch abilities unnerved him greatly. This led to the blonde wandering the streets of Konoha. Looking for anyone he knew. Anyone would be fine. Just someone so that Gaara could meet new people.

"Oi, Chouji… I was going to eat that…"

"Rule 1 of the ninja! Never let good food go cold…"

"Hm… That's too troublesome…"

Did his ears cease to fail him? Naruto stopped in his tracks and turned towards the source of the conversation he had just overhead: the best barbeque restaurant in all of Konoha. The blonde's blue eyes lit up in hope. Maybe the two of them would concede with is request. He could only hope.

Naruto ran inside the restaurant behind him as fast as his young legs would take him. Upon entering, he looked around rapidly until he saw the tuft of hair at the top of his friend's head.

"Ah! Shikamaru! Chouji!" Naruto jogged over to his two friends who were sitting in a booth next to the window, ignoring the waitress's protest for him to not run inside.

The dark haired ninja looked up at the mention of their names, while the circle cheeked ninja continued to feast upon both of their meals.

"Naruto?" Shikamaru was a little bit surprised to see him. Generally the blonde didn't seek either of them out unless it concerned a mission or if he needed something. He bet on the later of the two because now that Shikamaru was a Chuunin, the blonde didn't usually need him for missions either. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehehe, I heard your voices and I figured I'd come say hi," Naruto said in a sheepish manner, ruffling the hair on the back of his head while giving a great big smile. The Chuunin gave the blonde a skeptical look, he knew and could interpret the Genin better than that. Naruto dropped his hand when he realized he had been caught.

"The truth is…" he began, looking down at the ground with a pained expression on his face, the conversation with Kiba still ringing in his ears. Chouji slowed down his intake of food in order to clearly listen to the blonde.

"… Gaara is really trying hard to change his ways… And I want to show him that he can make friends… But I need someone to stay over my house for the night… Just so he can get to know someone other than me…" the blonde's voice shook slightly and his hands fisted. By this time Chouji had stopped eating and was staring at his food, deep in thought.

"Sabaku no Gaara?" Shikamaru questioned, a curious look on his face. Naruto's intentions would be clear to him in his answer.

"… Please…" Naruto stared at the floor as if it would make the answer that came out of his two friends' mouths be the one that he wanted.

There were children laughing at him and shunning him… Telling him he couldn't play with them because he was clumsy and large. Making friends was hard… so hard. No one was willing. It was times like those where he was lonely without any friends. He knew how difficult it was to make them… Sabaku no Gaara or not… and maybe that's what compelled him to slam his hand onto the table and point at the blonde's touching tale.

"Food is an important thing in a ninja's life… but friends are an important thing in a human's life!" Chouji rambled out. His connections to food never ceased to amaze Shikamaru… since half of it actually had meaning to it. He knew all to well why Chouji was offering his assistance, since he was the one that had found Chouji in that existence.

Shikamaru looked at his companion for a bit longer before giving a bemused smile of his own.

"Both of you are so troublesome…" he looked up at Naruto with his lazy eyes. "Okay Naruto… The two of us are in."

The look on Naruto's face was absolutely blinding and a small laugh gave them the impression that he wasn't expecting a "yes" from either of them. The blonde was beginning to get excited for the two to get to know Gaara better.

"I would like to join as well, if that's okay."

This was a different voice and the three looked around for a minute, trying to figure out where it came from. It was when Naruto turned around that the three companions saw Rock Lee and Gai sitting in the booth next to them.

"Fuzzy brows?" Naruto questioned.

"Yo!" An uncalled for blinding shine bounced off of Gai and Lee's teeth as they struck their "nice guy" poses.

The dark haired boy with the large circular eyes smiled at his friends in his ever-showing confident appearance, a young mirror of his teacher. The boy dressed in green stood up, making his way over to his blonde friend in a matter of a few steps.

"Please allow me to attend your sleepover, Naruto-kun," Lee bowed at his request. Naruto was a little dumb struck at Lee's sudden appearance and offer. He scrunched his face up in confusion as his blonde head tried to process what was going on. When he realized that Lee would like to help with his Gaara situation, he immediately let out a reply of "Mm!"

Lee was still injured from his own battle with Gaara, and despite his serious injuries, he was beginning to recover, no need for a cane. But it was his emotional bounce back which was the most amazing. He did not let the facts that the doctors loaded his head with affect his way of thought and he continued to do everything that he could, the way that he felt he should, so that he could get to even this point.

But the intense boy, when hearing of Gaara's plight to take on a challenge that may seem to be impossible for someone like Gaara… and show him that it was possible. Lee had faced a similar challenge with his healing process. It would be impossible for him to become a ninja, the doctors had told him. But he was slowly proving them wrong, little by little, day by day… And since he held no grudge against the red head for doing the damage that was done, as a possible hope for the slightly deranged child, he wanted to take part of the deed.

Lee nodded in approval and looked back at his teacher. Both stared each other in the eye, almost as if reading each other's mind. Then, Gai nodded back at his beloved student and Lee turned to face his friends, a new light of fire located in his long lashed eyes.

"Yosh! Now is the time to help Gaara-kun! I will teach him of the fire of youth!" The dark haired boy ranted and earned himself nothing short of a gold medal for the Oddities Amongst the Human Race Competition.

"Pleas-Please don't," Naruto manages to get out, suddenly afraid for his new friend.

112

It was past noon, judging from the sky. It was about an hour past noon to be more exact. Gaara had not moved from the spot that he was told to wait. Naruto was late and his patience was being tried, however, he managed to close his eyes and keep it in check, reminding himself that the blonde would come. He had said he would with that look, so he had to put his faith in the blonde if he wanted to ever be able to trust him. He wanted to believe that Naruto would not stand him up.

The wall behind him was fairly cool compared to the warm rays of the sun. It was nothing compared to the heat of the desert however. It was also fairly noisy, which he was unaccustomed to and was getting a slight headache from it all.

"Hahaha! …Funny," the words could barely be made out in the busy streets of Konoha, but the voice and the laugh caused the Shukaku host to look up in the direction of the voice. Could it be?

A blonde mop made it's way into the red heads view and he could instantly feel himself stand up straight, leaving the coolness of the wall. His heart felt lighter and his headache seemed to instantly dissipate as he saw the blonde head of his thoughts walking in his direction.

The overwhelming feeling of relief filled his body and his mentally scolded himself forever doubting the Kyuubi holder. Naruto would never betray him; he needed to keep telling himself that if he ever wanted to be able to trust him, or anyone for that matter. But the dreary thought of the pain that would follow if he ever was deceived again, would be entirely too immense for him to ever come back from where he was at now.

As the blonde drew closer, Gaara noted the three others at the blonde's side and wondered nonchalantly if they were the ones that had made his friend late. He wanted to make them pay for stealing time his new friend. He never spent time with anyone so he was feeling a little greedy to be around someone other than corpses and sand.

However, he refrained himself from causing any sort of commotion for the little bit of a reason that he has been trying to birth in him, told him that those were probably some of Naruto's important people and that the blonde would not appreciate the welcome of his attacking sand on his friends.

It was then that Naruto took note of the piercing thought filled eyes that were latched onto him and he turned his own blue ones to search for them. He found the easily spotted red tousled head and pale skin. When he did a grin graced his feature and he stopped his chatter with the three next to him and held up a hand and waved it.

"Oi! Gaara!" the excitement in the blonde's voice was evident and suddenly Gaara felt very nervous as the ball of orange made its way over to him. What would tonight be like? What did Naruto have planned? Would it just end up in awkward silence or would another fight erupt like last time?

Gaara crossed his arms over his chest to steady the shake that coursed through his spine and he turned to face the own of the voice. When the boy made it to him Gaara thought to try and start conversation.

"You're late." Nice start… Well, it was an attempt to be sociable in any case and Gaara was somewhat pleased with himself for it. Naruto gave him a sheepish look in return.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Gaara couldn't help but feel as though he had just forgiven him with that measly apology. He never let things go so easily, but for some reason, with the blonde, it came as natural as breathing. He blamed it on the blonde's "special" nature.

The three that had been traveling with Naruto had finally caught up and stood beside the blonde, looking at Gaara with no looks of disgust of fear, but a lingering spark of curiosity was held in them. That was another look he was unaccustomed to. Though he was pretty sure many were curious as to how he controlled his sand or what went through his mind, they were all too afraid to look at him and if they were brave enough to turn their heads in his direction, any sense of curiousity was clouded by their fear. Their looks unnerved him a little and he had the urge to shift around a little, but held it in for appearances, only allowing his eyes to dart past the blonde and to the three behind him.

Naruto caught the glance passed behind him and he turned and looked at the three he had brought along. Naruto was beginning to quickly learn the language of Gaara ever since last night. The realization that Gaara pretty much speaks through his eyes was very helpful in understanding what Gaara really wants to say but doesn't. This quick glance behind him indicated that Gaara wasn't quite sure if the three were with Naruto and what the purpose of them being there was.

Naruto smiles.

"Gaara… These are some of my friends. Shikamaru," Naruto points at the spiky haired, lazy eyed boy who lightly waves a hand at him, almost as if it were too troublesome to even bother with the gesture. "Chouji," the large one grunted in acknowledgement of his name and continued to eat his potato chips. "And Fuzzy Brows," the large eyed boy smiled at him.

"Rock Lee," Lee corrected Naruto, smile still in place and giving a small bow, not seeming to mind the allotted title given to him. Gaara recognized this one. He knew the other two from the Chunnin exams, recalling that the one named Shikamaru had taken out his sister, which gave him a little fighting credit to his name. The fat one he didn't really remember standing out at all with the others. But the odd looking boy he knew too well, since he had fought him.

Gaara's mint eyes traveled to the bandages on his arm and leg, and he was not blind to the slight limp that he bore as he had walked towards the blonde. But the long lashed boy's open acceptance of him created an overwhelming sense of guilt in him for having caused the boy to experience such damaging wounds.

Naruto watched the red head's eyes carefully as he studied Lee silently and he wasn't quite sure what he was thinking, but he could see the guilt cloud his vision and decided to break the awkwardness his friend was feeling by answering the awaited question as to why the three were with him in the first place.

"They're the reason I was late," Gaara looked up, snapped from his thoughts, "I decided that since you seemed to want friends, I'd let you meet some of mine. That way you could have more friends than just me," Naruto said with slight embarrassment. "You know what they say, the more the merrier," he gave a smile at his friend, replacing the small blush on his cheeks. Being a good friend was always a nice feeling, but for some reason, it always embarrassed him to go out of his way for them.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly at the explanation and he looks at the three and then at Naruto. His lips are slightly parted, leaving it plain for anyone to see the surprise that he was holding in.

Naruto had thought that far for Gaara? Naruto was trying to not only befriend Gaara, but give him more opportunities to be friends… Naruto has shown him the light and was now taking his lonely hand and walking him down the path he had tried so many times so many years ago. There were no words he could use to express himself at that moment, but the shock on his face was thanks enough as far as the Kyuubi holder was concerned.

Shikamaru had to admit, the look on Gaara's face was quite surprising and he was sure it was for the others as well. After seeing the red headed boy in action and then making the connection that this look of disbelief and indebtedness could be produced by the same being that had viciously killed and enjoyed the killing of others, was quite unreal. It was a display of humanity that the three had been unsure that the other could even express and for some reason, it made any doubts that the three had had about the idea of spending the night with him, vanish.

The three felt smiles creep onto their faces, or in Lee's case, his only broadened.

Naruto was glad when he saw his friend's reaction to Gaara's normally hidden emotions.

Shikamaru makes his way over to Gaara and puts a hand on his shoulder and closes his eyes. He can feel Gaara tense at the touch and assumes that the red head has never actually had contact such as the one he was being given now. It was almost like having a dog that has been abused all its life, giving another chance to people.

Shikamaru smiled at this and could see Gaara's eyes focus on him for a split second before darting to the side ever so slightly.

Gaara was curious as to what this lazy eyed boy was trying to accomplish by putting his hand on his shoulder… he even smiled.

Shikamaru took his hand off of Gaara and moved back into the line that Lee and Chouji had formed. He had been testing Gaara. Ever since he had heard Naruto's story about the redhead wanting to gain friends, he had been suspicious. The surprise on the face of the former killer had thrown him off a little bit on his speculations. So he had given the boy physical contact. If Gaara had been the way he was during the Chuunin Exams, there would be no way that any sort of uncalled for physical contact would be let by. However, all he received was a lonely and confused look that only reached his green eyes and Shikamaru recognized the submissiveness to be true and he backed off. Things would be okay.

"So…" an awkward silence fell between the five boys and Naruto wasn't sure how Lee could keep a smile that big on his face any longer. "Who's up for hot springs!?" Naruto tried to break the little bit of silence and apparently his outburst had gained the attention of all of them.

"The hot springs?" Naruto nodded at Shikamaru's skeptic inquiry. It was a sign that the only Chuunin present, didn't particularly want to go to his suggestion. The blonde suddenly felt a little stupid for suggesting the idea.

"Male bonding experience! Naruto-kun! What a great idea!" Lee however seemed enthusiastic about the whole idea and the blonde's spirit lightened and a feeling of indebtedness coursed through his veins and though the phrase "male bonding experience" slightly disturbed him, he found himself holding onto Lee's hands.

"Fuzzy brows…" the feeling that someone was on his side caused him to be slightly emotional, tears rimming his eyes. Lee's smile gave its ever-present sparkle and he gave a nod, reassuring Naruto of their bond.

Gaara was left slightly confused by this action… Did the blonde always hold people's hands for agreeing with him? He felt his eyes wander to his own hand and thought of the blonde grasping his own. He couldn't even process the thought of anyone touching his hands and ended up dragging himself out of his thoughts.

"Naruto pays," Chouji stated cheaply. There was no way that the hungry ninja would ever waste his money on the hot springs when he could spend it on something more important, like food… especially if someone else had the money to cover it.

"What?!" Naruto's head shot over to Chouji's with an angry face.

"Well if that's the case then I'm in…" Shikamaru decided that if he didn't have to fork up any money for the trip then it wouldn't be as troublesome to go.

"Eh?!" Naruto's angry and shocked expression was turned to Shikamaru. When had this all been determined?

"Yes! Let's go then! Thank you Naruto-kun!" Lee chimed in, obviously not understanding his distress. He was going to go broke if these guys were actually serious.

Gaara silently observed the scene before him. He watched the way the three interacted with Naruto, a demon vessel just like himself. They did not run in fear from him, nor did they ignore him. In fact, they had complied with his request to meet with another demon vessel. All the more it made Gaara realize how wrong the world had been to him, but also how right the world could be… He had just never seen it before. It made him want to trust Naruto all the more, for seeing first hand why the blonde could be the way he was… meaning not like Gaara.

"Oi, Gaara!" that familiar voice rang through his thoughts and called him back to the real world and he noticed that the four boys had moved forward, already a considerate way away from him. He had just been staring after them like a fool, arms still crossed against his chest.

"Gaara-kun!"

"Munch, munch, munch."

"Gaara, hurry up… you're so troublesome…"

Were they calling out for him? Gaara was so unused to hearing his name called in such a manner by so many people. Even in his head, whenever he referred to his own name, it carried a malignant tone to it, one of hatred. And in groups, one of fear. But this… He was being invited to follow. Invited… That word sounded so strange and foreign to him…

He felt his gaze drift to the blue eyes that watched him, waiting for him to come and there was nothing that could describe the way he felt. This blonde had done so much for him. And yet, he had nothing to pay him back with but a memory that he would like to forget. What could he do to repay his savior?

He nodded and unfolded his arms, walking towards the waiting group with the pronounced feeling he was beginning a new chapter of his life.

113

Gaara waited outside the door to the springs. He had been standing there for a good ten minutes now, watching the door as if it had all the answers in the world…

The sheltered little red head had never been to the hot springs… Suna didn't have enough water supplies for something so trivial as public bathing and the scorching heat of the desert did nothing to aid the need or desire for _hot_ springs. Though he had heard of them.

… He just didn't know that it was open to everyone. Everyone could go in it. Meaning, there were no separate stalls or anything. Everyone went in. Together.

It's not that this bothered him greatly, it's just that for some reason… The moment he got to the door, he felt embarrassed for walking out in nothing but a towel… Sure, Temari and Kankurou might have seen this once or twice and maybe Baki as well… But showing his body to those he really just met made him feel awkward, like he would be judged in someway. He could deal with no shirt, but thought of only wearing a towel unnerved him.

So there he was… standing in the doorway, feeling too much not himself to even be partially sane. He growled lowly in his throat at his frustration, clenching his fist. Why was he acting like this? He gained up the courage to stop this nonsense and to just go out there.

He opened up the door and was greeted by a warm, slightly moist haze. He couldn't see completely clearly due to the steam that rose from the springs, but he could see well enough that the place was almost entirely deserted except for three people. Naruto, the lazy eye, and the fat one. He couldn't remember their names off the top of his head and has resorted to labeling them as such.

He stepped one of his delicate looking feet out onto the contrastingly cool rock of the springs. The soft pat that his foot made caused the three to look in his direction.

Naruto looked up at the sound and saw the distinct mop of hair waiting at the door.

"Ah. Gaara!" Naruto splashed and waved at his companion to come join them in the spring. He swam over in a dog paddle style to where the red head was nearing.

"N-naruto," Shikamaru sputtered, somewhat annoyed, as the ever-moving blonde splashed some water in his face. He had decided that relaxing in the hot springs wasn't as bad as he thought it would be… It gave him a fairly clear and peaceful view of the sky. Cloud gazing could be very enjoyable here… As long as certain blondes were not around to disturb his sight seeing.

The dark haired Chuunin looked over to see what had disturbed Naruto from his spot in between his best friend and himself. Then he saw it and his mind began reeling. The pale unmarred skin. It was a swift reminder to him that Gaara was indeed a powerful being, never being truly hurt before a few months ago. The skin on the boy had to be incredibly soft, he assumed. But what caused his eyes to widen in curiosity was not the blemish free skin, but the structure of the body it belonged to. He glanced at Naruto and noticed the blonde had stopped swimming forward, a little perplexed as well.

Gaara noticed the stares he was getting from the three and his brows upturned slightly in confusion. He stopped at the waters edge and looked at the bewildered look of the blonde who was a couple of feet away. What was their deal? … The looks that were thrown his way were slightly unnerving and he entered the water hastily, hoping that it would cease their attention.

The looks remained as he settled himself in the warm water. He had never experience a hot spring before… It was interesting to say the least, to have public bathing and to also have water that was steaming warm. Again, in the desert, it was best to take colder showers during the day to keep yourself nice and cool.

He looked over at the blue eyes that did not leave him alone and gave a slight frown.

"What is it?"

Naruto snapped from his thoughts and smiled at the red head. That had been rather interesting, thought it made sense.

"Neh, Gaara?" Green eyes flickered to the side to signal that he was listening and to proceed. "Your body is so young looking." Naruto's smile broadens and Shikamaru smirks slightly at Naruto's brash behavior. Chouji stifles a chuckle in between the mouthfuls of food that he has smuggled into the bathing area.

That was a new one. Gaara blushed slightly, taken a back by the comment. He had never been told as such and wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Young?"

The blonde head nodded and started to make its way over to the red head.

"It's like a boy's body." Gaara frowned slightly at this explanation.

"Naruto… I am a boy, it should." Naruto gave out a small laugh on his way over, outstretching a hand.

"No, I mean your body looks very boyish. If you look at most ninja our age, they're pretty toned…" the hand is very close to his chest now, reaching out as if to prove a point to the green eyed boy, his minty eyes watching it intently. "But yours is more round and soft looking than fir-."

Naruto never had a chance.

There was a soft sound effect followed a splash as the blonde was repelled away from the red head. A wall of sand floated in between the two, a very distraught red head on the other side of it.

Gaara had been watching the ever-nearing curious hand approach his bare chest. It had been making him nervous, the thought of physical contact with another person on an area of himself he only touched in order to clean. His sand must have detected his distraught and reacted on impulse to Naruto's intended touch.

The blonde came up out of the water, sputtering and shaking his wild hair free of water before opening his eyes and slightly glaring at Gaara, the sand wall slowly sifting away, revealing his somewhat guilty look.

Naruto held his glare for a moment longer before breaking out into a laugh that was followed by the laughs of Shikamaru and Chouji who had enjoyed the show.

Gaara was embarrassed. He had been feeling much more embarrassed these past couple of days than he ever had in his entire life. He felt himself sink into the water a little more so that only his nose and above were out of it, trying to hide the warmth creeping up to his ears. Part of it was from slight annoyance at the accusation of having a "boyish" body as it was so put.

Shikamaru had laughed a bit at the scene and was pretty sure Gaara had misinterpreted Naruto's actions and words. While it was true that Gaara had a young figure, the Genin had only been trying to point out that it was odd for a ninja their age to have a body that was lacking that much in muscle. It wasn't that Gaara was flabby or fat, he just did not have the toned appearance of the other ninja in their class year.

Shikamaru was almost positive it was because of the sand. Since Gaara's sand pretty much did all of the fight for him, he rarely ever had to move a muscle other than to move from place to place, so the most muscular place on his body would be his legs. Even though Chouji was a large boy, his legs and arms showed signs of muscles beginning to grow.

"Let us realize the power of youth: Hot Spring Bonding Style!" The unforgettable raves rang through the moist air of the springs, drawing the attention of all four companions. Gaara was secretly grateful for this diversion and turned to look himself.

There, in all of his ridiculous glory was, Rock Lee. Shikamaru and Naruto gaped. Chouji stopped pile-driving food. Gaara blinked a few times…

The amount of muscle chiseled onto the long lashed boy was unbelievable. He was slim, but yet there appeared to be muscle upon muscle. It was a figure that any women would die for… and is also probably the reason for his nimbleness. That's what happens when you have problems with ninjutsu and obtain Gai-sensei as a teacher, they supposed.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Naruto waded over to the edge of the spring, quickly hauling him out of the water, the quick movement tugging on his poorly secured towel and swiping it from his body.

Shikamaru smacked a hand to his face and tipped it back in embarrassment for the blonde, who he knew really wouldn't care. "Naruto…"

Gaara simply turned away, giving his friend a little bit of decency, shutting his eyes. The blonde he was coming to find was not only stubborn and righteous… he was also a complete idiot. He could feel his face warm at the fact that someone like this had truly defeated him in battle. In his case, his words spoke louder than his actions.

"Now see _this_ is what a real ninja's body should look like!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the well-defined body of the taijutsu user. Lee was somewhat lost in the conversation and seemed slightly confused by Naruto's nude form and prodding.

Gaara found himself blowing a few bubbles in the water, seething silently that he was not being paid attention to. Though the blonde had made him somewhat uncomfortable, the attention was not unwanted. In fact, it was something he craved as a human being because it was something he never really had before. Not the good kind of attention anyway…

After his initial bewilderment of the intense ninja, Naruto settled down with a laugh between the two and headed back to the water. He was about to hop back in when a white piece of cloth was thrust in his direction.

He looked down and saw that it was attached to a pale hand.

"You dropped this…" Gaara could not look in the blonde's direction. Naruto looked confused for a moment before realizing that he had in fact, lost his towel. He smiled at the red mop of hair before taking it and replacing it around his waste.

"Ah, thanks!"

_Has he no shame?_ Gaara thought to himself quietly, scrunching his brows together in mild concentration.

The rest of the adventure carried fairly normal. Naruto splashed around for a bit with Lee, playing with a rubber duck they had substituted for a washcloth bucket. Shikamaru enjoyed watching the sky start to turn darker, occasionally sharing a few words with the ever-hungry Chouji and attempting one or two with Gaara who didn't seem to particularly mind the conversation, but also didn't seem to care for it either.

Gaara silently observed the scene, turning down all invitations from the blonde and the dark haired boy to play with them… Though they had convinced him to make a slide out of sand for them, but had quickly decided that it was a bad idea after the sand had scraped landscapes into their backs. Gaara's sand was apparently sturdy, strong, and hard. It wasn't smooth like the kind of sand you could sift your feet through in the beach, though they were sure he could make it like that too.

"Gaara, you don't look so good."

Gaara looked up suddenly from the little ripples of water he had been making by dropping grains of sand into it. He looked up and over to Shikamaru who was giving him a strange look. He didn't look good? Did he look sick?

… Well… He felt a little warm and very comfortable at the moment… His eyes were a bit heavy.

"Really?" He heard Naruto say and could hear him clumsily trudge through the water over to him. "Yeah you're right, his face is a little pink."

"Oh! You're right! It must be from the hot spring. We should get him out before he passes out," Lee confirmed. Gaara gave them all funny looks. Why would he pass out from being in the hot springs?

"Come on Gaara," there was a tug at his hand and Gaara was snapped from his comfortable little world in the spring to the physical contact at his hand. He looked over and allowed himself to be helped out of the water by the hand. When he got out of the water he noticed who it belonged to.

Naruto let go of Gaara's hand once he was sure the red head was standing stably on his own, but the hand did not fall from his own when his fingers had loosened their hold. His blue eyes drifted to his hand and he noticed Gaara was holding onto the hand of his own free will.

What was he doing?

Naruto looked back up at the green-eyed boy and found that those green eyes were staring at their hands. Gaara was just staring and holding onto his hand. Just staring and holding.

Chouji munched on some chips and watched the two. He did not talk much at all, but even though he really didn't say anything, that did not mean he was oblivious to what was going on at the moment. He gave a little smile which made his painted cheeks seem much more plump.

"Um… Gaara? …" Naruto felt a little blush creep across his face. Holding hands with someone could sometimes be awkward, especially if that other person was with a male friend. Naruto had nothing against homosexuality, but became nervous when he thought that he might be accused of such an act. Though he was entirely sure his sand friend did not have the intentions as such, it made him slightly uncomfortable nonetheless.

Gaara let go immediately at the sound of his name and Naruto realized that the red head hadn't known he was holding onto his hand for so long and gave a slight gesture of the hand to wave off the moment and a smile.

Gaara had been in a slight dream like state. Everything around him had felt so warm and for once in his life he had felt calm and content with his it. When he felt that hand pull him out of the water, like it wasn't afraid to touch him at all, he tensed. When he had seen it was Naruto, he had relaxed again. But when that hand that had daringly grasped his own let go of it's hold, he reacted. For some reason, he had felt the need to not let go.

Was he afraid of Naruto leaving him? Was he just desperate for physical contact? Why?

It was over now though and he let his hand rest at his side, heading for the door.

Shikamaru gave a slight smirk at Chouji who returned it and the two evacuated the water along with Lee.

All five ninja left the hot springs with satisfied looks on their faces… All except their favorite blonde who walked looking sadly at his now empty frog pouch.

114

The four boys made their way to Naruto's humble apartment, after making quick stops to each of their houses in order to get the necessities for the little overnight party, none really paying too much attention to their parents, the sense of rebellion and independence boiling in their blood. Tonight was the night where boys ruled and parents had no control.

It's early evening when they arrive at Naruto's home, the sky is turning to the stars for the night. They are trying to be quiet so as not to wake any of his neighbors who might be trying to go to sleep. They trek the stairs and unlock the door and head inside.

"Sorry it's not very big. It's really only meant for me." Naruto apologizes briefly, not that he really cared what the others thought of his home. He enjoyed it the way it was and that's all that mattered.

The four boys followed and made their way into his room and looked around briefly before dropping their stuff on the floor and making themselves comfortable on the floor, in chairs, or just standing against a wall. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they walked in. The images they had imagined of Naruto's place based on the way that Naruto talks about it were proven, excitedly, wrong.

Albeit the apartment was a little messy, his bed was unmade and a few clothes lay on the floor. There were a few books and things on the table, but nothing past what their own rooms looked like, but there were no hideous mold spots or bugs running loose in plain sight, and there was no horrid odor that could be smelled from the room next door.

Actually, Naruto was slightly nervous having people over his apartment. He had never done this before and had never participated in a sleep over, so he really had no idea what to do. It was an exciting feeling, but at the same time, he hoped that he wasn't being judged. He wondered vaguely how Gaara felt about all of this. He never asked if he would be comfortable spending the night with people other than Naruto, especially ones he just met.

"That's fine Naruto-kun. We're here to enjoy, not to judge," Lee smiled off Naruto's halfhearted apology. The others seemed to agree, nodding in concurrence.

"Thanks," the Genin smiled for the reassurance. However his smile quickly faded to a slightly shocked expression as a loud high-pitched noise filled the silent air of his apartment. He instinctively felt a hand move to his stomach and clench the shirt there.

"Ano…" Gaara watched his friend stumble for the words to hide his embarrassment. "So who's hungry?!" Instead, the laughter of his friend rang through the small apartment, proving him wrong. The blonde had opted to just deal with it. He had begun to notice things like that about the blonde… he never truly wallowed in his own dilemmas for too long, keeping a positive note to move on. It was an admirable feature of the blonde.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," Chouji looked a little annoyed. The most important part of a sleep over was the food after all and he had been nervous that Naruto would forget something crucial like that.

Gaara looked at Chouji, his eyebrows furrowing upward slightly. He was amazed at how much the ninja could eat and was even more surprised that the red-cheeked boy wasn't larger than he already was. He was chubby, he'd admit, but he really didn't look that big.

"Okay! I'll heat up some ramen! You guys can find something to do, make yourself at home," Naruto smiled and headed over to his little kitchenette and opened a cabinet only to let out a yelp as about twenty packages of ramen fell out of it.

Gaara, Lee, Chouji, and Shikamaru shared the same expression at that moment. Disbelief.

"Naruto… Do you have anything other than ramen here?" Shikamaru made his way over to Naruto to poke around in the ramen stuffed cabinets.

"Why? Should I?" Shikamaru gave Naruto a look. He knew of the blonde's obsession with ramen, but he hadn't realized how unhealthy it was until he opened up another cabinet and more came out. "What? There was a sale."

Shikamaru sighed in defeat. "So troublesome…"

Chouji and Lee walked over and helped Shikamaru search for something other than ramen. There had to be _something_ other than ramen. Naruto reluctantly helped them look as well. Of course he wanted to eat his favorite meal of all time, but the fact of the matter was that not everyone ate as much ramen as he did.

Gaara stood back from the search crowd and watched them futilely pull out the hundred of packages of ramen. He thought it was a little rude to be declining the offered meal, but as the same time… it appeared reasonable.

"Oh! I got something!" Lee exclaimed and stood up holding out what appeared to be a box of popcorn and a box of pudding mix. Choujij's eyes lit up.

"Check the expiration date," Shikamaru looked at it doubtfully. Naruto looked surprised, he hadn't even known he owned something like that.

Lee looked at the box closely…

"Hm… It's good for about another month or so… I think."

"Those are nonperishable foods, meaning they can be eaten at any time," Chouji stated all knowingly. Shikamaru smiled at his friend's usefulness.

"Okay, popcorn and pudding it is." The lazy eyed one seemed to be the leader and the most reasonable of the five boys spending the night, Gaara observed. If he recalled correctly, he was the only one of those who took the Chuunin exam to actually pass. He must be going through some special leadership training.

The cooking commenced and the popcorn was cooked fairly easily… However…

Naruto eyed the bubbling muck in his ramen pot and hoped that it didn't stick. It was the only one that he owned and he needed it for ramen.

He supposed the muck in his pot was supposed to be vanilla pudding, but it seemed to resemble the slime that Tsunade Baa-chan's slug left behind… It made him want to gag. This is why he stuck with ramen, because it smelled good and no matter if you cooked it wrong, it still looked the same.

"W-what is this?" Naruto held a hand to his nose.

"Definitely not edible," Chouji critiqued it with disgust.

"What should we do with it?" Lee questioned, daring to point at the would be pudding. Shikamaru sighed at the sight, "I guess we scrap it and eat popcorn…" He added quietly, "Though I'm pretty sure this type of substance needs to be quarantined…"

Gaara had been watching the fiasco the whole time, avoiding only and all conversation. He didn't really care whether or not they had food at all really. Instead, he was carefully observing the interactions between the four boys, especially Naruto.

Naruto was his first friend ever and he wanted to make sure he didn't push him in the wrong direction like he had unknowingly been doing the other day. He is starting to pick up that Naruto responds negatively to his childish antics being pointed out, so he figured he should stay away from that…

"Oi… Gaara… What do you think?" Naruto decided however, after his successful attempts at avoidance, to drag him into it anyways. As Naruto saw it, Gaara had purposely been staying away from the group and he had been looking for ways to include the redhead, even if it didn't look like the sand ninja wanted to be involved too much.

Gaara shot him a man-eating glare… Oh, if looks could kill…

He quickly wiped the glare off his face as all eyes turned to meet him and he suddenly felt like everything depended on him, however his face remained as blank as ever and he silently made his way over to the stove to peer at what the others has made and took note at how they cleared the way slightly for him, not feet, but just enough that he could get by, not caring if an arm accidentally brushed up against them. They seemed pretty okay with his presence there.

However, as comfortable as they were, the fact that Gaara could keep the same stoic look throughout his analysis of the sludge. After a few minutes Gaara stood up straight again.

"You made it wrong…" he said and looked around for second before spotting the refrigerator. He now looked like he had some sort of goal in mind and they watched him move over to it and open it up, grimacing slightly at the inside which was slightly disgusting. The group noted that despite being inside the apartment, Gaara had not taken off his gourd, though the small bag had been placed delicately next to the door.

After a minute of searching he pulled back with a few things that were shockingly not ramen related and moved over to the stove. Gaara took note that his every move was being watched as the leaned over his shoulder and at his sides to get a better look at what he was doing to the monstrosity.

He added things and stirred and added and stirred and after a few minutes, it looked slightly normal. Gaara looked at it and reached a hand up like he was going to dip his finger in it to taste, but remembered that other people were going to eat it… The thought of them not eating it because he had touched it ran through his mind and he tried to shake it away. No one would want to eat anything he has touched… they barely wanted to share the same street with him.

Suddenly, a sun kissed finger darted in front of him and into the pudding, the arm it belonged to reaching over his shoulder, successfully touching his neck and shoulder, sending sparks through every vein and capillary in his body and he could feel the blood rushing to his face…

Too much physical contact that he was not used to sent shivers down his spine. It was something he craved because he lacked it, but at the same time, the only thing he really ever touched was sand.

Naruto put his pudding-coated finger into his mouth and tested to see if it was okay.

"Hmm… Not as good as ramen, but it's pretty decent," he smiled after a minute or so, reaching to grab the pot off of the stove.

"Wait-," Gaara smacked Naruto's hands away and watched the blonde reel them back towards his orange jump suit, giving him a curious look. Gaara looked down at the pot and allowed some sand to lift the hot object with ease and put it in the fridge.

"It needs to cool…" he said, still looking down towards his feet. He can feel the eyes of the others on him and he's unsure of what they are thinking until…

"Good job. You have saved our rations," Chouji smiled wisely at Gaara, who was unused to the gesture and turned his brows upwards slightly.

Lee let out a little laugh at Chouji's use of the word "rations" to describe their ramen filled situation at Naruto's apartment. It really was their only source of food outside of ramen…

"So where'd you learn to cook like that?" Shikamaru gave Gaara a little smirk and chuckle of his own. He never would have guessed that the almighty controller of sand, Sabaku no Gaara would have exceptional cooking skills. That was something not commonly associated with ninja, whose hands were meant for holding kunai, not spatulas.

Gaara felt as though his reputation was being threatened slightly by this query. How was he supposed to answer that? Well… He supposed he could just tell the truth, not that it was embarrassing or anything. His cooking skills just never really came up in any conversations that he's had in the past, not that he's had very many outside of missions.

"I can't sleep."

Everyone gave him a confused expression, not quite getting what he meant by this. He thought it would be obvious from that one sentence, but apparently he would be forced to actually explain things.

"I can't sleep… When I was little I would get bored at night and would end up making similar things," he sighed, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. He figured that it would be the end of the conversation and that they would leave him alone, not that he didn't enjoy the company, he just preferred to be amongst it, not in it.

However the laughter that ensued caused his eyes to pop open and face the small group. Why were they laughing? What did he say that was funny? Or maybe they're laughing at him…?

Suddenly he felt a weight on his shoulder and looked over to the cause of it and found the lazy eyed one who had casually slung an arm over his shoulders as if they were best of friends. He was shocked to say the least. No one _ever_ dared touched him outside of battle. It was a new sensation to having physical contact, but it was even more so when it was willing contact.

"You're alright, Gaara," the Chuunin managed to say in between his laughs.

Gaara frowned at the boy slightly, not particularly appreciating his approval of the boy. When did he ever need to be approved of? Though he could not help but keep his eyes on the hand that held his shoulder and suddenly he was being led to a seat.

"So how did you end up hanging around Naruto of all people," Chouji asked Gaara taking the popcorn into his arms, his eyes squinting and making him fox like in appearance as well.

Gaara's mouth props open slightly, unsure of how to answer such a question without digging himself a hole.

Suddenly, his eyes met his favorite azure ones and he found that even if he had the words to say, he couldn't speak. The blonde's eyes sparkled with amusement and something else that Gaara couldn't quite place his finger on, but it made him slightly uncomfortable… the softness in them, that is…

Naruto couldn't keep his eyes off of the redhead. In a matter of two days, Sabaku no Gaara was interacting with people and there was no bloodshed. He couldn't help but feel happy for him, and proud in a way that the sand ninja was accomplishing what he had came to do, earn friends. Though he couldn't help, but feel slightly jealous that it was happening so quickly for his newest friend… He was human after all.

115

The rest of the evening was filled with laughs, frustrated sounds, screaming, yelling, complaining, whining, and crunching food as the boys played board games, the most entertainment Naruto had for large groups of people.

During the games of thought, like chess or Risk, it always dwindled down to Shikamaru and Gaara sitting silently, trying to guess each other's moves. It was an intimidating match, but Naruto had dubbed the two of them boring, earning a wayward glance from his redheaded friend and he felt the urge to not sleep in the presence of the sand ninja that night.

No matter the circumstances, Lee would try to keep moving his pieces even if they were all claimed by his opponent. He seemed to be having difficulty understanding that his pawns did not have the "power of youth" to keep them going through the battle.

Chouji opted to not play the games, but instead eat the popcorn and pudding that they had made, smiling and enjoying the interactions of his friends.

However, everyone seemed to feel fairly frustrated with the games of luck that they were playing. No matter the circumstances, Naruto ALWAYS won.

The blonde gained that fox-like look on his face as his eyes squinted and he put a hand to his chin, pretending that he actually was trying to plan something out. Lee watched him intently as Naruto nodded, making approval noises.

Shikamaru was slightly annoyed with Naruto's attempts to formulate a plan for pushing the dome shaped dice roller and moving his piece in the designated circle the same number of spaces rolled.

Gaara watched, his face blank, his arms crossed across his chest. He wasn't quite sure what Naruto was trying to do, the blonde had to have known that no matter what he rolled this next turn, he would win.

Finally, the blonde snapped his fingers and gained a look of enlightenment, like he had just found out the actual size of Tsunade Baa-chan's bra. He grinned devilishly and Gaara couldn't help, but think how well the smirk suited his mischievous appearance.

Naruto pushed the dome and it popped, rolling the dice. He studied them for a moment before breaking out into a victorious smile and leaping up.

"Yahoo!! Yeah!! In your faces! I, Uzumaki Naruto, have conquered a small portion of Konoha tonight! The next time I face a challenge like this I will become Hokage!" he shouted ridiculously. Gaara furrowed his brows at Naruto's outburst. Not out of annoyance, but more of a "I don't see how exciting that is," kind of face.

"Oh! Nice going Naruto-kun!" Lee smiled at his victorious friend.

Shikamaru let out a loud audible side and lazily leaned back on his arms, "How troublesome you are. I'm done."

"Me too," Chouji added in, finishing off the last bit of popcorn and patting his stomach heavily.

"Eh?!" Naruto looked appalled at the two. "What are you talking about? It's still so early!"

"Naruto…" Gaara chimed in suddenly, his voice silky and then all eyes were on him. It always happened to him that way. The moment he opened his mouth to speak, everyone always looked at him and it made him feel uncomfortable… He automatically shut his jaw and looked slightly to the side.

Naruto had actually stopped his rant, interested in what Gaara had to say. He felt the need to baby him a little in his quest to become semi-sociable to people… Or at least being able to act in a human environment, however he became slightly saddened when Gaara stopped his thought process and decided not to speak his mind.

"We've been playing board games for nine hours Naruto… It's already midnight," Shikamaru decided to answer for the redhead, speculating what he was about to say. He let out a yawn to add further notice that he was tired and his brain was pretty much dead for the time being.

Naruto pouted slightly.

"But the night is only beginning Shikamaru-kun! We have all the energy of being young! Let us utilize it all before it's too late!" Lee ranted enthusiastically.

Naruto turned to the dark haired ninja and gained a sparkle in his eyes.

"Fuzzy brows!! You do understand!" Lee nodded in agreement and gave Naruto a thumbs up, the blonde eagerly returning one of his own.

Meanwhile, in the midst of all of this, Gaara has gotten up and moved around, looking for his bag that had somehow been tossed in a mess of bags, pillows, and blankets they had pulled out earlier. He finally finds it and pulls out a few things and heads to the blonde's bathroom.

Bedtime for him, did not consist of sleeping, but still the necessities of everyone else… Though he did not think he would be taking a shower at his new friends' place… It just seemed a little awkward. Besides, he had been in the hot springs earlier…

His absence had gone unnoted until he stepped out of the bathroom, due to the sound of a large thud… just to make sure no body had actually died in the process of whatever they had been doing. Not that he really cared, he told himself…

The red head stepped out of the bathroom unabashedly, a hand on the object in his mouth.

In front of him was a large pile of ninjas who, judging by their positions and the objects surrounding them, had attempted to set up temporary bedding on the floor. They truly were ridiculous.

"O-ow…" Naruto muttered at the top of the pile.

"Ow? How are you hurt I'm stuck underneath the four of you," Shikamaru tried to look up at the blonde from the bottom of the pile.

"Ano, Gaara-kun. Could you give us a hand?" Lee, scratched the side of his cheek, slightly embarrassed by the situation.

Naruto looked up at the mention of Gaara's name. The red head had left so silently and fluidly he hadn't even noticed. He almost felt bad about it, but what was keeping him from doing so, was the thing hanging from his friend's mouth…

It was a normal object and it didn't look any different than his own… but for some reason, the toothbrush hanging out of Gaara's mouth looked so… out of place.

It was just an ordinary toothbrush, but it somehow made Gaara's wild looks seem more timid and more human than normal. It was a captivating thing to see and a part of Gaara that not many would ever see. He was human and he did human things, like brush his teeth. No matter how weird it may seem. First impressions last a long time, so the thought of Gaara doing such a normal, routine thing would always seem strange.

Naruto smile a little bit in his thought process, causing Gaara to narrow his brows at the look. He took his hand off the brush, allowing it to dangle in his mouth before crossing his arms and guiding a trail of sand with his eyes over to the mass of ninja on the floor, thinking how pitiful they all were as he untangled them with his sand. It was a little sad to see Konoha's ninja's in such a state of distress…

After his duty was done he calmly retreated back to the bathroom to finish his business.

When he finally emerged he had taken note that everyone was in their sleep attire and all the beds had been made up with out him and he looked at the beds curiously. He never had slept in a bed before, or had ever slept at all, so it was a foreign object to him. The real problem was that he was unsure of what to do next. Everyone was underneath their own blankets, talking to each other.

He didn't sleep… So what was he going to do all night? … He felt his ringed eyes glance down at the toothbrush and paste in his hand and decided to stall a bit by putting it back in his once again covered bag. But the trip took all too quick and he was once again perplexed by the situation of sleep.

He stood at the foot of the empty bed of blankets, which he assumed was for him and looked at it curiously.

Lee was the first to notice the return of Gaara and the thoughtful look he had on his face. Blank as usual and almost impossible to read.

"Gaara-kun? Aren't you going to get into your nighttime clothes?" he asked, noticing that Gaara had yet to change.

Gaara looked up slowly at the mention of his name, but did not respond, again, everyone's eyes on him. He really wished that his name or his voice would not have the effect on people. He wanted to be recognized, but at the same time, he preferred that people did not wait on his every word.

Naruto turned around in his blankets to look at his friend, his ridiculous nightcap in place. Gaara cocked a brow at the object in slight amusement before putting on his normal look.

"I didn't bring any," the red head responded coolly however.

Naruto frowned and slightly pouted, the fox like look back on his face.

"Hmmm… Gaara! This is a sleep over! You should have brought sleeping clothes!" Gaara looked at Naruto, his pupils getting slightly smaller at the blonde. No one ever reprimanded him and yet his friend felt comfortable enough with him to actually attempt. Temari and Kankurou had tried to do this when he was younger, but their fear of him kept them at bay… This response… He wasn't sure if he should be satisfied with it or angry with it as usual.

He decided to let it pass.

The blonde suddenly flew out from underneath the blankets and over to a bureau in his bedroom area, tossing clean clothes onto the floor, searching for something. The group watched the blonde in his fury before he came back, bearing a set of clothes.

"Ta da!" he held them up. It was a simple button down nightshirt and pair of pants with little kitsune's drawn on them.

Gaara looked at them strangely. What did Naruto intend to do with them?

"Oh don't make him wear that, Naruto," he heard Shikamaru say and suddenly he made the connection that Naruto was insisting that he wear his clothes to bed and he visibly tensed.

"It looks silly," Chouji felt the need to defend Gaara's dignity. Naruto pouted at the comments, but decided to ask Gaara anyways.

"You can wear these?"

"… No!" Gaara would be damned if he wore those ridiculous things. Naruto was his friend, but he still had his pride to maintain.

Naruto looked determined however and retreated over to his desk, fumbling for something before scribbling all over the clothes and returning.

"I made them more stylish, how about now?" He held them up. Gaara was still sure of his answer; that nothing the blonde could do to it would make him wear it. But he was completely caught off guard by what the blonde had actually done.

There were thick lines over the foxes eyes. Spikes were put on the tail. And little swirl patterns decorated the fur making it look distinctly like Shukaku and Gaara could feel a growl rise in his throat. No way in his father's hell would he wear that thing!

Shikamaru looked dumbfounded and Chouji the same. The clothes were absurd.

The redhead's answer clearly showed on his face.

Naruto was not going to back down though and gave him one of those confident smiles of his that weakened everything that held Gaara together.

"I'll let you keep them."

…

Was this…?

Was this a gift?

Gaara's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Was this really a gift? … This… thing…

He looked at the clothes that just seemed to scream silly. Contemplating.

These were his first gifts… Gaara had never received gifts. The last gift he had received had been a stuffed bear from his younger years, during the times of Yashamaru, from someone who had never really cared for him.

But these… As ridiculous as they were, were from someone who did consider him important to them personally, not as a weapon.

He felt a blush rise to his face and he was fairly certain that it was visible because Naruto shoved it to his chest and he felt his arms clasp around it, feeling the soft texture of the material beneath his hands. He wanted to rub his face on it, but decided against it and returned the blonde's gesture with a frown before going to change into the clothes.

Shikamaru and Chouji looked at each other. Had mighty Sabaku no Gaara just submitted to the village idiot of Konoha? They could not believe what had just happened.

A few minutes later, the red head emerged, sporting the slightly breezy clothes. He frowned at them, holding out the shirt a little, not used to having so much freedom, his normal clothes restricting him.

"Ooo! They look so stylish Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed, the ever-present fire in his eyes. Naruto turned to look at the large browed ninja, who was still dressed in vibrant green.

"Fuzzy brows…" Naruto seemed teary eyed at his friends' support and the two clasped hands, smiling and transferring their young energy to each other, bonding.

"They don't look that bad, Gaara," Shikamaru tried to make the poor guy feel a bit more comfortable about his appearance. Chouji nodded in agreement.

Gaara could tell easily their lie, but nodded in acknowledgment that he heard them.

He slowly padded across the floor to his supposed bed that was positioned at the end, next to Naruto'sand shifted it slightly with his foot, testing the waters. This was a big thing for him; it was new. In fact, the whole day had been completely new.

"You're supposed to get underneath them," Naruto told him. Gaara shot him a glare and he took satisfaction in having shut up the blonde who gulped a bit. Right now, he needed them to have patience with him.

"I've never been under blankets before…" he mumbled out, loud enough for only his own ears, but Naruto could tell what he said and he smiled a bit, retreating his forcefulness. He had almost forgotten that Gaara is inexperienced in a lot of things and that he needed to be patient with the red head, for his sake.

After a few minutes of shuffling, Gaara finally settled underneath the blankets. He looked at them with the same face as always, blank, but he visibly flexed his toes underneath the blankets, causing the others to believe that he was actually trying to figure out how he felt about it, or was even enjoying the blankets.

It was interesting watching Gaara interact with things. They wanted to say he almost had a childlike innocence about the way he approached the things he has never experience before… but the words innocent and Gaara don't mix per say, so they were left to just ponder his ways.

It was then that Naruto had a brilliant thought and the light bulb went off in his head.

"Ah! Gaara, you don't sleep!!" Naruto exclaimed worriedly. What was Gaara going to do in the night while they all slept? He felt kind of bad for asking an insomniac to sleep over.

Gaara frowned slightly at Naruto. Had he really forgotten that?

The blonde's face fell forward as the back of his head was bombarded by pillows. He sat up again and turned around to face the trio who had hit him.

"What was that for?!" he yelled at them. Thankfully, pillows didn't injure harshly, but he still placed a hand on the back of his head, rubbing it for emphasis.

"You just remembered that? You idiot…" Shikamaru sighed.

Lee nodded his head judgingly along with Chouji. Gaara cocked his head to the side as he heard a low growl emit from Naruto's abdomen, curious as to why it made the noise.

"It was an accident! I didn't mean to forget!" the blonde shouted as a soft "_pft_!" extended throughout the room, a silence following.

Did Naruto just fart? Somehow it embarrassed the red head to realize this. Gas was something he thought people should keep to themselves…

It was then that his nose caught a whiff of something horrid. So instinctively, he sniffed again to see what it was, but as soon as he did, his hands came up to cup his face in an attempt to protect his precious air.

"Gaara-kun?" Lee looked over at the redhead. Naruto turned around to glance at his friend.

Gaara's hands did only so much to protect what little air that wasn't infected before the horrid tendrils penetrated through his fingers and he could feel the world go black.

When Gaara keeled over, hands falling to his side, Naruto was in shock. What happened?

"Gaara!" Naruto scrambled over to the red head to check up on him. "Gaara!" Naruto yelled again, shaking his pale friend slightly in attempts to wake him.

Shikamaru sat up and leaned over Chouji to get a good look at the red head passed out on the floor.

"I think you killed him Naruto," he stated nonchalantly, but with slight belief in his own words. The poor unsuspecting sand ninja had been subject to a direct blow from Naruto of all people.

"Eh?! What?!" Naruto exclaimed before turning back to Gaara and shaking his limp body furiously.

Gaara was currently coming back to reality. He had been somewhere dark and abandoned, yet somewhat at peace. Then, something sweet smelling filled his nostrils. Fresh air. He breathed in as much of it as he could before he started coughing.

Gaara felt himself sit up rapidly, coughing and spurting, heaving and breathing heavily. Everything came back to him and he turned his head to the side, catching Naruto's eyes with his furious green ones.

He slammed a hand on the ground to support himself. The sudden comeback to reality had made him feel lightheaded. His eyes were bloodshot, he could feel it, and his green eyes pierced the blonde, wiping the relieved look off of the Kyuubi holder's face.

"Naruto…" he began, his voice low and threatening, "Don't you ever…" he says between breaths, "Do that… Again!"

All Naruto could do was gulp and hold up his hands in defense. Though Gaara was now his friend, still new, he never let himself forget what Gaara was capable of. So an underlying threat meant he got off easy, but it was still unnerving.

Gaara subconsciously wondered why Shukaku hadn't taken the initiative to come out before he decided that the raccoon wanted to avoid the smell. Smart bastard… That thing had damned near killed him!

The sound of laughter snapped him from his thoughts and he slowly let his breathing return to normal.

Chouji had to admit, seeing Sabaku no Gaara keel over due to Naruto's rudeness was quite amusing. But to see Gaara give Naruto such a death glare was priceless.

Shikamaru wiped a tear from his eye. He had laughed so hard he had cried.

"All right, I'm ready for bed," the Chuunin managed to get out, the last bit of his laughter dying down.

Chouji grunted in agreement and Naruto added in a "yeah." The blonde stood up and moved over to the light, flicking it off before returning to the comfort of his blankets.

"Goodnight everyone," they all heard Lee say… They weren't planning on saying goodnight, but just falling asleep like normal people, but they decided to grunt their goodnights to him as well so as not to leave him hanging.

Soon the sounds of even breathing coursed through the once loud and active room. Gaara was left to stare at the ceiling, sleepless as always, his only company at this hour was the moonlight.

So many thoughts coursed through his head and so many new feelings flowed through his heart… Sometimes he wondered if it would be possible for him to sleep even if his personality wouldn't be eaten by the raccoon that was possessing his body. There were too many things to think about in a day that it was impossible to include sleep.

Today was amazing. He had to admit at least that.

He had experienced the pleasure of hot springs. He had gone underneath blankets for the first time and was finding it surprisingly comfortable. He had survived his first sleepover. More importantly, he had interacted with people, and they hadn't been afraid.

That fact had continued to baffle him all day. Why were they not afraid of him? They had even gotten so casual with him to sling and arm around his shoulder… Though the contact was wanted, it was somewhat uncomfortable.

Though… the entire experience has made him feel hopeful for is future. Maybe he really could accomplish what he had come for?

Gaara felt his head tilt to the side and he could see the back of his friend's head, the blonde locks illuminated by moonlight and he could feel his eyes soften.

Naruto…

Gaara owed his life to this young boy. As rude and obnoxious as he is…

If it hadn't been for Naruto, Gaara might have destroyed everything he has ever known. Gaara might not have had the hope of being wanted by people someday.

And on top of it all, Naruto had gone above and beyond Gaara's request to be his friend. The blonde had tried to introduce him to more people, in attempts to give him more friends. It was a humbling feeling and his heart fluttered with appreciation.

He has heard the expression from various places.

"I can't live without you." Is the quote. The red head knows it is generally said to a lover or someone of equal importance, but…

He can't help but feel that he honestly couldn't have existed without Naruto… Not without all the things he has done for him…

…

Though it did not change the fact that he sometimes wanted to hurt him for being absolutely annoying.

Gaara curled his knees up to his chest slightly and continued to stare at the back of his favorite blonde's head.

Though Gaara was deep in thought, blissfully unaware of anything around him, his comrade lay in distress. It was all fine and dandy for Naruto to have Gaara awake while he was sleeping, however… it was highly unnerving to feel the piercing green eyes on the back of his head for more than and hour now. Gods he was tired…

Needless to say, Naruto did not get any sleep that night.

000

Next Chapter: Departure

Oh dear lord it ended up longer than the last. This is ridiculous!! Lol Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways. I tried my best to keep everyone in character, but I'm not really sure if that came through in this chapter at all because of the cliché scenarios I put them in. I finally figured out where this is going to go and with the length of these chapters I'm terrified to write anymore lol But as long as I get lots of reviews from you guys I'll be more inspired to continue it! Thank you sooooooooooooo much for reviewing and following it so far! It really brightens my day. Though I do have to warn you because I'm positive I won't be able to dish out another chapter before this happens. I've just moved back into school so everything is going to be even more delayed. lol That and I'm trying to finish up my xxxHOLiC fic because I have 1 more chapter to do and I'm done with it and I'm just starting it. So once that fic is complete, this one will be my priority. At this rate though and with how I planned out the story… It might take a looooooooooooooooooooong time. Lol Anyways thank you again!! Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!


	4. Depart

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Oooo Gaara we love you even if you have trust issues. This chappy will probably be shorter than most of the other ones I've done and the next one might be as well. I dunno, I say this every chapter and they end up longer than the last. ;.; I'm inspired right now because I just watched Naruto Shippuden 31 and they made them look so pretty!! I was excited 0 Well I hope you enjoy and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I shall have you know that when I have no initiative to finish writing this fic I just read the reviews you guys send me over and over and over and I feel more inspired and continue to write. Lol so keep them coming!! I really really love to know what you guys think of my fics! Thanks again!!

000

The sun was bright and it beamed through the window into the eyes of the sleeping boys, one by one. There were moans and groans as it attacked their faces and shoved them awake. The sound of sheets and pillows followed as they were pulled over everyone's heads.

Gaara watched silently at everyone and wondered what could be so good that they must continue to sleep? Was sleep just a necessity? Or was it something that was desired? Though he ruled out the "just a necessity," when Lee sat straight up and jumped out of his blankets, stretching and jogging in place.

"It's another beautiful day to spread the joys of our youth!" he exclaimed cheerily and Gaara sat up and gave the fuzzy browed boy a strange look, perhaps because the bouncing boy did strike him in fact, odd. A commendable ninja… but odd.

"Osu!" Lee gave another shout of excitement for the new day. "Ah! Gaara-kun! Do you want to go do some morning exercises?" The fuzzy browed boy looked over at the rising red head who replied by shaking his head in a "no."

Gaara was not one who cared for physical activity. He was most definitely not out of shape and was not particularly good with hand-to-hand combat so the need for physical activity diminished as his list went on. This led him to believe that activity was unnecessary unless he was becoming a hindrance to himself. Training, however, was a different story.

"Nnnnnaaaaah… Would you two keep it down? I'm trying to sleep…" the two turned their heads to the blonde who was mumbling underneath his blankets. Gaara frowned lightly for being scolded by the blonde when he hadn't even opened his mouth. There was a sigh from a few lumps over.

"Just give it up Naruto…" Shikamaru's voice sounded from underneath his pillow. "This is too troublesome…" he stated, tossing his blankets off and sitting up, leaning back on his elbows. There had to be another word for the Chuunin's face… Normally it is classified as a "lazy look," but his just woken up face was beyond that. Gaara wasn't sure it was possible for the dark haired ninja to look any lazier than he already was.

Naruto groaned in response, accepting the fact that Shikamaru was probably right and it would just be best to get up. He pulled his face out from underneath the blankets and hugged his pillow, opening his blue, bloodshot eyes. It was very apparent that he didn't sleep well that night.

Naruto looked to the side of him and notice that Gaara was _still_ looking at him and he shifted a little under the stare. How long could he hold that look for on one person?

The blonde wearily sat up, his obscene nightcap falling off the back of his head in the process. Shikamaru let out a loud yawn as Lee changed into his clothes. Naruto groaned, looking extraordinarily sleepy and unmotivated.

Gaara stood and quietly gathered his clothes and headed off to the bathroom to change. Though the boys had seen him in nothing but a towel, he preferred that his body not be a portrait for everyone to judge.

"Oi, Gaara. Did you spend the whole night laying on the floor?" Shikamaru suddenly felt the urge to ask. He remembered Gaara being under the blankets when he fell asleep and the insomniac was still in bed. He had figured the red head might have gotten up and done something during the night and it somewhat intrigued him as to what Gaara would do.

"Yeah, he did." A groan came from beside Shikamaru and he looked skeptically over at Naruto. Gaara ignored the question and closed the bathroom door behind him with a soft click.

"How do you know that?" The Chuunin questioned the blonde.

"Trust me, I know." Naruto looked as if he were on the verge of falling asleep.

Squueaaaaaaaaaraeeeeeeeel… 

The odd noise came from across the room and the blond and Chuunin directed their gaze at their fuzzy browed counterpart who was already dressed and clutching his stomach.

"Ano… Naruto-kun? Do you have anything for breakfast?" Lee asked, smiling sheepishly at his body's decision.

Suddenly a pair of eyes snapped wide open at the mention of a crucial word and the last lump of blankets to rise immediately sat up, startling everyone in the room. All eyes were drawn to the larger boy positioned in a battle ready stance on the floor.

"Chouji?" Naruto looked at the boy strangely. What had provoked him into moving so suddenly?

"Did somebody say…. Breakfast," the rosy-cheeked boy's eyes were intense.

Shikamaru gave Chouji "you're troublesome," look while Naruto heaved a sigh. Of course that's what the boy would want. The only thing that was ever on Chouji's mind was food. Naruto caught this last thought and rebuked it. No, one of Chouji's favorite things in the world was food, but he knew the larger boy cherished his companions more than consumption and he inwardly smiled at the thought.

"I have ramen," Naruto mumbled out, too tired to really get up and look. He knew for certain he had ramen. Though… after last night's search for food other than "the best kind of food in the world," he was fairly positive he didn't have anything else at the moment.

"You eat ramen in the morning, Naruto-kun?" Lee pouted slightly in his perplexed state, not entirely up for ramen in the morning. Gaara opened the bathroom door and stepped out quietly and unnoticed, demonstrating his obvious life as a ninja. Even in the comfort of a home, outside missions, his footsteps remained quiet.

"Then let's go out for breakfast," Shikamaru stated, putting a hand to his face and running it back over his hair. He had neglected to take out the ponytail and it caused the other boys to briefly wonder if he ever took it out.

"Good idea Shikamaru-kun," Lee smiled in agreement. Gaara walked silently and still unnoticed over to his bag and placed his belongings into the little pouch, now fully dressed in his normal attire. Though the pouch was now a little more full than when he had first come to the blonde's apartment due to an extra set of special clothes bestowed to him.

"Buffet!" Chouji roared out with an intensity that rivaled that of Lee's. Shikamaru plugged his ears, not particularly enthusiastic about moving or waking up for that matter and his best friend's loud declarations were not pleasing to the ear.

Naruto sighed and looked longingly over to where he had tossed his orange jumpsuit in the corner of the room; the little empty frog pouch falling out of it carelessly. There was no way he could pay for anything. All he had left were his savings and he wasn't about to give that up for a breakfast that he knew would cost him a great amount. It was things like this that made him wonder why people just didn't eat ramen all the time? It was cost efficient, tasty, and easy to transport.

"I don't think I can pay for that. I used up all of my money at the hot springs," he smiled sheepishly. It was plainly visible on all of their faces the disappointment and suddenly Naruto felt a little insignificant. This was his first time inviting friends over his place and he knew he was supposed to play host. He supposed he should have thought this through a little bit more and provided substance that everyone would enjoy. He looked at the floor with a slight pout, mimicking everyone's faces. He just hoped that Gaara didn't mind his lack of preparation. This really was for him to get to know people and the blonde felt that if the others weren't enjoying their time, Gaara might not either.

"Geez… so troublesome," Shikamaru leaned back on his elbows again, almost tempted to just go back to sleep. It's not that he blamed Naruto, and he was sure the others didn't either. It was just bothersome to not eat in the morning.

Gaara observed the sudden crestfallen looks on each of the boys' faces and his gaze lingered on Naruto's. He was not one to understand emotions for he barely understood his own. However, it was quite obvious that Naruto was upset, maybe not greatly, but something about what had just happened, bothered him. This blonde… he had done so much for Gaara. He had given him a hope that he never dreamed of ever achieving. And even just a little, he felt obligated- no- obliged, to help him.

"I can pay," Gaara felt the words slip from his mouth and he watched as all eyes turned on him. He could feel himself blink as the sudden shift of attention fell from the floor onto himself. He was used to being stared at by people, stared at with fear… Though, this was greatly different. All of them were… smiling. Frankly, this made him nervous, almost as if he were going to be plotted against. Uncomfortable…

Lee started to laugh. Chouji sat back and watched with a content look upon his face. Shikamaru stood up, making his way over to the obviously confused redhead. Gaara turned his green eyes to the lazy eyed boy making his way over to him. He still wasn't sure what he name was, but he believed it began with an "s." Due to his current conclusions of the looks directed at him, Gaara narrowed his eyes slightly in a defensive manner, though this did not seem to bother the lazy eyed Chuunin. Instead, he progressed and moved until he was directly next to Gaara and slung an arm around his shoulders, laughing all the while.

"Gaara-kun's treat!" Lee shouted out.

"You're a good guy, Gaara," Shikamaru laughed out a bit and patted the shoulder of the redhead who was shying away from the touch. His eyes still narrowed at the owner of the arm. Did he not realize who he was touching? Gaara seemed to be having mixed feeling about the act of touch. It was a pleasant feeling and something he desired, the feeling of forgiving touch. But at the same time, it was something he was unaccustomed too and therefore would prefer that it was not forced upon him. It took all of his effort to not growl, though he did grit his teeth tightly.

Something however, attracted his mint gaze from the annoyance thrown over him to a silent soft gaze that made his breath hitch. Those azure gems gleamed at him with something he never thought could be directed a person like him, a monster of destruction and pain. Naruto's smile held happiness, but not for himself. The happiness, Gaara could tell, was for the redhead. Naruto was… happy for him?

Gaara could feel his body tense and he closed his eyes. That idiot. Just by one gesture, the blonde has given him so many opportunities for redemption, to start over… He would not pass them up.

Gaara straightened his back and allowed the fuss to continue on in the room until everyone was dressed and all bags and belongings were with their proper owners. And they headed out.

112

This was a feast to remember. Since Gaara was treating, the group had decided to dine at the best breakfast place in Konoha, receiving many odd stares as the young ones trotted in and waited to be seated. They gained even more attention at their loud outbursts and the more than generous amounts of food that had piled up at their table.

Naruto and Chouji had declared an eating contest, Chouji coming out on top, leaving a nauseas Naruto in second place. Lee seemed very torn between the competition occurring at his side and eating his own food. Of course he would love to eat, but such displays of youth were hard to pass up. Shikamaru ate as if it were a chore, so he didn't eat a whole lot and toyed with the food.

Gaara seemed to stand out from the rest of the group seeing as he ate only one plate, remained quiet, and ate in a sophisticated manner; back straight with a fork and knife. He savored his food and ate fairly slowly. It was when he was finished did he spare glances at his companions and then the obscene amounts of food that remained on the table. It was quite disgusting as far as Gaara was concerned. Naruto's ability to pile drive food into his mouth wasn't one of the blonde's features that he cared for.

It had been Shikamaru though who had let out a yawn after the completion of his meal and suggested that they part ways. All members of the previous night gathered their belongings as the redhead sifted through his pouch and pulled out a sufficient amount of money that would pay for their order as well as a generous tip for the poor waitress. The owner of the store thanked him as a well paying customer on their way out.

It was when they arrived on the street that Gaara realized, this is where they would part. The five boys stopped on the street and faced each other in a circle. He hadn't realized it before. He didn't _want_ to leave. This was the most interaction he has had with someone without being forced or killing them. There were people here who didn't fear him and dare he assume view him as a friend or at the very least a pleasant acquaintance.

"Well, I have to head back home and figure out how I'm going to go about this bothersome mission Godaime gave me… She's such a pain," Shikamaru started what would be their last conversation for a while. He scratched at the back of his head, closing his eyes. They all nodded in response. What for, they weren't sure.

"I need to resume my training at two fold for missing out on my nighttime training," Lee smiled throwing it into the awkward silence.

"Ah-haha… I guess I have to clean up our mess," Naruto tried to laugh a bit. Gaara realized they were all coming up with things that they had to do to make the parting a little less awkward. They had all shared the night together and bonds had been forged between them. Maybe not intense ones, but they had been made and it is so much harder to break a bond than to make one. This bit of reality was the cause of their currently unmoving predicament. Shikamaru was the only one edging them on to say their partings.

What could Gaara say? What excuse could he give to make his parting easier? … What was he going to do later? …

"I have nothing to do," was what came out though. Again, all eyes were draw to him. He had taken to staring at the ground, hoping what he had said was sufficient.

Though, the sudden bought of laughter however, caused him to return his gaze to the group formation. They were laughing at his response and he could feel his eyes narrow. What was so funny? All he had said was that he had nothing to do. And it was true. What had been so humorous? They were all so very strange.

"What's so funny?" his mint eyes glared at his new found companions.

"Nothing, nothing," Shikamaru responded through his laughs, which had died down considerably. Gaara received smiles all around.

"It was a pleasure to get to know you better, Gaara-kun," Lee started with a bow. Gaara's comment had broken the ice a little, though unintentional. "I would like to do this another time as well."

Gaara knew he would blush. Though he suppressed it as much as possible, casting his eyes to the ground and given a slight nod of acknowledgement. It was all too overwhelming for him. Having grown up alone and understanding and accepting the fact that people despised him for being the monster that he was… to encountering a few chosen people who would accept him and acknowledge him without fear for being the monster that he was… He couldn't help, but feel this way. The constriction in his chest.

"Yeah, as troublesome as all of this was… it was kind of enjoyable," Shikamaru decided to admit and Chouji nodded along with the comment.

"Thank you for inviting us, Naruto-kun. It was a lot of fun," Lee turned his attention to Naruto who blushed a bit as well, though the grin on his face covered up for the similar feeling that he had to Gaara's. Knowing that his first sleepover hadn't been a disaster was thanks enough for him.

"Of course it was! What would you expect from your future Hokage?" Naruto stood confident, trademark smile in place and hands on hips. The comment earned him smirks all around and a flicker of the eyes from the red head at his side.

"See you around," Shikamaru turned away and headed in the opposite direction.

"Bye. Naruto, Gaara," Chouji gave a wave of his own and retreated, following Shikamaru.

"Good bye Naruto-kun! Gaara-kun!" Lee shouted off exuberantly and trotted off in a different direction, leaving Gaara and Naruto by themselves.

"Bye!" Naruto shouted to them all, waving and staring longingly after them, a twinkle in his azure eyes. He slowly let his wide smile fade so that his lips were only upturned and he dropped his hand softly to his side.

Now was the time.

Gaara could feel the tension in the air escalate and the focus of the world switch to the two standing side by side. Both could feel it. The two had experienced something completely new together. In these past two days they had grown to understand one another in a sense of silence, reading each other's eyes as if they had known each other for years.

There were ways they knew they clashed, obvious from their second encounter. There were ways that they knew they clicked. It made them wonder if they would have ever become friends at all if they did not have that one thing in common, their demons.

Though all present in the events the previous night had created stronger bonds with one another, the blonde and the red head had intensified the one between themselves unintentionally.

Indebtedness. Pride. Comfort. Need.

These were all things that bound the two standing in the crowded street where nobody existed but the two of them.

They couldn't say they were close enough to be best friend. They weren't close enough to even say "really good" friends. What they had between them was something entirely different than between Naruto and Sasuke. Or Naruto and Sakura.

It just existed. Neither spoke of it because they could feel it there, deep in their cores where their inner demons lay below the surface. There were no words for it.

Naruto was never one for tense moments like these. The blood running through his veins felt like sludge and he could feel his heart letting out loud, dull, thuds against his chest. What would they say to each other? How would they part?

Naruto turned to face the red head who acknowledged him by turning his green eyed gaze upwards. It looked as though Naruto would have to start this departure, his pale friend looked as though his lips were sealed shut and would not move without force.

Just as he was about to start his good-bye to his newly acquired friend, something happened.

Gaara lowered his head and allowed his lower back to fall stiffly towards the ground in the form of an elegant bow.

"Thank you."

Naruto looked at his friend, the gesture unnerving him slightly. It was unexpected. A few months ago Gaara would never have lowered his head to anybody. Had he really changed this much?

Naruto felt the heat rise a little to his whiskered cheeks and he tried to search for his voice, which was stunned from the surprise. Though, he found it once more when Gaara lifted himself back up into his proper form, expression the same as always.

Naruto paused a moment longer before giving a slight laugh.

"There's no need to thank me," the Genin attempted to wave it off. "I'm jus-," he was cut off by the smooth voice of the other.

"Stop it," Gaara's eyes narrowed at the blonde. "I need you to accept my gratitude to you." This was a difficult task for Gaara. He needed to learn how to say "thank you," to someone. He had never said those words for as long as he could remember. He never had a need to. He never had felt compelled to. But now… for someone as important as the Genin before him, he must. It was an accomplishment he was willing to try for and he needed Naruto to cooperate with him.

The blonde stared back at those green orbs. He had opened his mouth to retaliate out of formality, but shut it when he read into them. This is how Gaara spoke. It was different than how everyone else communicated, but he was gradually beginning to pick it up. Perhaps it is because he can understand why those feelings would cross the red head… If it hadn't been for Iruka and the others, Naruto would have ended up the same as Gaara after all… It was a fact that he could not forget.

"Since that time, you have taught me a lesson," Gaara started after being assured that Naruto would not interrupt his mission, averting his eyes away, unable to make direct contact with the blonde's features. "You have given me… a friend, and … someone to believe in. Hope," was all the red head had managed to get out. He was never one for talking and to express himself as such was damned near impossible for him. But it had been important for Naruto to hear him.

Naruto listened carefully to the choppy sentences Gaara had tried to procure from his highly unused vocal chords. The fact that Gaara had stopped him earlier had made it clear the importance of what he was saying. Gaara would never talk nonsense because it was not his style. If it weren't pertinent, then Gaara would never say it. His words though…

Naruto was slightly taken aback. When he had first encountered Gaara, he had been angered that the red head had ignored him all together, too interested in Sasuke. This anger had later developed into fear of the boy. Gaara was strong and unstable. He struck fear in his village and everyone around him, and for good reason. But now… looking back on that Gaara, it was easy to see the changes that the dark ringed boy has been going through.

Psychopathic, unstable, Gaara was now attempting speech. He was attempting feeling again. He was attempting to prove his existence without causing fear. Naruto could see how he had changed him. All of this change, was caused by none other than himself.

The blonde took a small bit of pride in this knowledge and a large grin struck his face as Gaara awaited his response.

"Hai-hai-hai-hai-hai-hai!" came the oddly choppy and annoying laugh. Gaara looked up and narrowed his eyes. Why was it that whenever he was serious every body laughed?

"Another small step in the direction of greatness for the amazing Uzumaki Naruto! Tamer of Sabaku no Gaara!" Naruto belted out, gloating in his stunning accomplishment.

Gaara could do nothing but glare. Yes. He was indebted to this idiot, but his not completely extinct blood lust desires were craving to wring the blonde's neck and spill his inner fluids. Oh how this blonde toyed with his already befuddled thoughts.

Naruto could feel the glare directed at him and he let his laughter died down, though his smile remained. Though he would gloat in his accomplishments with Gaara, he had genuinely felt more pride in the fact that Gaara was getting better, had socialized and attempted conversation. It was a long road that the red head would have to follow. A long, long road…

But he had subconsciously decided that he would take the small hand of the child that had become lost on that road so long ago, and he would trek it to the very end with him.

"Gaara…" Naruto started. Gaara loved how his name sounded coming from the blonde's mouth. Nothing ever sounded bland. It gave his name an emotion, a deep passion for something other than the strong inclination of fear. It was soft. It was intimate. It was the way he had wished someone would call him.

"Good luck."

Gaara's dark ringed eyes widened just a tad, so that only Naruto would have noticed. He pursed his pale lips together and nodded in response, not being able to muster up a farewell of his own.

Naruto turned to leave, sparing a last glance at Gaara and waving at him and giving him a sun filled grin. The grin that made Gaara's knees go weak with the notion to let his life lay in the hands of an orange jumpsuit.

"Become the Kazekage someday so that when I become Hokage, you and I can be friends forever." Naruto threw out the last suggestion, pointing a finger in the direction of the stunned red head.

If there was ever a moment in life where Gaara could have taken a picture and kept it around with him as a memory, it would be now.

It was moments like these in the chronicles of the Uzumaki's life that seemed so final. Whenever the blonde had made a decision such as this, there was no changing it. It was as if no matter the challenges life would throw at him, he would make it happen…

What was special about this chapter… was that he was now included in the blonde's life.

He was important to someone.

His existence was wanted by someone and needed by someone.

It was a difficult thought to process after so many years of being told the complete opposite. It might take sometime, but he felt he would have enough time now to try as he watched the blonde head fade away into the crowd.

Gaara felt as though he had been given life.

113

It was midday and the two siblings from the sand were relaxing in the apartment they had rented. It was nice to have some time away from Baki and training and it was even more pleasant to not turn the corner and feel the ominous threat that is their brother approaching them.

They loved their brother, even though they feared being in his presence. They have ever since after he had killed Yashamaru… That is when they realized what was really wrong with the little red head. Their father had imprisoned a terrible being, the Shukaku of the sand, inside of their own flesh and blood.

It had been a shock at first, a blow to their system. Their father, the Kazekage, had always been kind and loving to them, taking great pride in their development. Never did they wonder why Gaara didn't live with them until that fateful day.

Kankurou would not speak to their father unless forced to. Temari was torn between her brother and her father. Though what her father had done to their youngest sibling was wrong, she had felt the need to try and keep what was left of their family together. Gaara was too far from their reach as they had tried before, after the incident, to contact him and received nothing but a pair of icy green eyes and a threat.

It didn't stop them from trying though. It was frustrating trying to work with their youngest brother who had no faith in or love for anyone but himself. They had pulled some strings when Gaara graduated to Genin status in order to be closer to him, trying to look out for him. But Gaara seemed too far from their grasp.

After the death of their father and Gaara's ultimate defeat, something had changed in their little brother. He had been showing signs of it ever since that day and the two siblings were unsure of why or how stable Gaara really was.

Though, the two days ago when Gaara had spoken to them had rebirthed their hope of ever having a family again. They wanted a family with the member who had been missing from it since birth.

A sudden low gust of wind at the window drew both of their attention from what they were doing, to the now occupied window. Gaara held a delicate pose for balance on the wooden sill before slipping into the sunlit, cozy living room.

"G-Gaara," Kankurou stuttered, not having expected his youngest sibling back so soon.

"We didn't think you'd be back so soon," Temari expressed on her brother's train of thought. In fact, they hadn't expected him to return during daylight at all. He had a habit of strolling in very early in the morning to extremely late at night.

Gaara stood up straight and spared his siblings a glance. It was a sign of acknowledging their existence, whether it be as annoyance or something more.

The youngest of the siblings stalked silently to the room that was dubbed as his own for their stay in Konoha, leaving his two worried siblings staring at his wake.

Temari grit her teeth a little bit. Would it be wise to question him? Both she and Kankurou had been dragged from their lives in Suna to spend a few days in Konoha. When she had asked Gaara why he was going to that place, he responded with nothing other than the word "training." And recently the she had gotten the word "Naruto."

What kind of training would their mentally unstable brother do in Konoha that he couldn't do in Suna unless it involved the little blonde loudmouth? She had a feeling though that Gaara wasn't saying everything, not that she had expected he would. Temari would just prefer to not start another war between the two nations due to one off her brother's sadistic needs to possibly off a loud orange Genin.

Kankurou watched his brother's back sullenly and longingly. Ever since the time when they were young, Kankurou had felt and overwhelming sense of guilt for not being there for his youngest sibling. Sometimes he would wonder briefly if he and Gaara would have been close had things not worked themselves out to the way they were now.

He just wanted to know that his little brother, whether or not the green eyed boy cared for him at all, was okay.

It was then that he noticed the pouch at Gaara's side was considerably fuller than when the redhead had left.

"Ano… Gaara. What were you doing?" Kankurou felt compelled to ask. He could feel his heart rate jump when Gaara stopped, but did not turn around.

Time seemed to slow down and pass by painstakingly slow.

Temari looked at her painted face brother who had taken the words right from her mouth.

It was minutes before Gaara had thought up a proper response.

"I…" Gaara made the slightest tilt of his head, as if he were debating looking back at his siblings. There was a pause in his train of thought, probably unsure of why he was even bothering to tell the annoyance he considered his kin. "… was making friends."

Gaara felt the words roll of his tongue. They were so foreign coming from his own lips. It formed a cozy feeling in the midsection of his chest and peace and calm washed over his body, causing him to relax. Returning to his siblings after his parting with Naruto had him on a slight edge. He didn't particularly want to talk to them, but he remembered his last conversation with them hadn't been so bad… In fact, Temari had told him to "have fun," which he was inclining to believe was a sign of affection towards him.

Gaara remained still and silent, awaiting his siblings responses if any.

There was an awkward silence as Temari and Kankurou tried to process what their sadistic sibling had just admitted to them.

Was he being serious? He had to be, Gaara had no sense of humor… The softness of his words seemed to express his sincerity.

Was it true? Their little brother who they have tried to reach out to, to try and give a normal life to, was trying to make friends?

Kankurou was sure his eyes were watering as much as Temari's, but neither would let them spill. They supposed that maybe this is what a parent feels like when their child makes their first friend.

"Did you make any friends?" Temari couldn't contain herself any longer, the sister in her trying to pry into her brother's life. Gaara was finally opening up to them. After so long. She had so many questions for him and briefly wondered if he would ever accompany her shopping. She could make use of his sand to cut through the lines.

Gaara turned his head a little more so that one of his eyes could see his sister. He paused once more, debating on whether or not he should respond. Was she really that interested in his life? It led to the thought that maybe his sibling did care for him after all…

He closed his eyes and turned his head forward again, replying with a nod of his head.

The two eldest from the sand smiled at their brother's back, truly and honestly happy for him.

"That's great!" Temari exclaimed, wondering who exactly it was. She had an idea, but it was only a suspicion. No one could pull her from her hard ass demeanor except for Gaara. "Though…" her face and tone fell slightly and she looked at the gourd that covered half of the red head's body.

His sisters' tone of voice had caught his attention and Gaara refrained from moving. Kankurou cast a look over at his blonde sister and decided to take the task of telling Gaara.

"Temari and I are really happy that you've made a friend Gaara," Kankurou started, daring to take a step forward. "But… We really need to get back to Suna. All this humidity is making my face paint smudge," he added as a half joke, hoping it might appeal to the dark ringed boy so that he didn't flip out on either of them. Though Gaara seemed somewhat tame and compliant right now, he didn't stop thinking for a second that his brother wouldn't turn on him.

This was still untested ground and he was hoping Temari would get the hint. The prying she had attempted unnerved him slightly.

Gaara again didn't say anything for a few moments, causing both siblings to wonder what he was thinking.

There was a sigh and then, "I know…"

There was the silent pats of footsteps as Gaara made his way to his "room," followed by the soft click of the handle.

Temari and Kankurou watch their brother retreat, staying silent and still in the hallway. Each reflecting on their most important person. Each hoping that someday that important person will understand what he means to them. Each dreaming that someday that important person will be happy.

It was an important peak in their family relations and it would be one they remembered for a long time. They would work patiently with their sibling and maybe some day, they could act like a real family again.

They hoped.

114

Months have passed since those few enlightening days.

For months there has been nothing on the mind of Suna's most feared weapon.

Nothing other than Naruto.

Gaara couldn't quite place it, what this feeling was. It was familiar, but it seemed so strange.

Loneliness? …

That was it, wasn't it? This terrible feeling of longing to be near another, specifically a blonde blue-eyed Genin from another country.

Why was he feeling so lonely? He had been alone nearly all of his life… so why now? Why did this bout of nostalgic emotions decided to emerge now?

Naruto was his first friend. The first friend in a long time that he felt he could really trust. Naruto was the friend that has taught him another way of life and he was sure that this loneliness was derived from the absence of Naruto in his life. Naruto over those few days in Konoha had implanted himself in a notch of Gaara's barren heart. Shortly after the departure from the other country, the blonde had been ripped from the little nook he had created and was thus, leaving the red head lonely.

Gaara decided he hated that. He had spent the past month or so staring out his window or up at the midnight sky, deep in thought. He didn't pay attention anything to what Baki said nor did he even attempt to fight back during training and let the sand shield him from anything that could possibly harm him.

He had spoken a few times to Kankurou and Temari who have become considerably less tense around him, even gracing him with smiles when ever approaching. Sometimes he could deal with them and sometimes he would send them off with a quick glare.

There was something else found within the pit of emotions he had returned to Suna with.

Guilt.

Naruto had taught Gaara so much. He had even shown him friends and allowed Gaara to attempt to bond with them, which had gone fairly well since no blood had been spilled.

But Gaara had done nothing with this knowledge. He had made no initiative to talk with his siblings nor had he made any friends since his return to Suna. In fact, he was sure his return caused many to recede in his list of want to be friends.

Gaara had been wasting his precious training with Naruto and it was eating at him…

Could he do it? Could he try and make friends on his own? Without the comfort of that supporting smile behind him? …

Gaara stood up from the chair at his desk, making his way to his door and into his kitchen. He looked determined, like he had his mind set on something.

When he had rounded the corner to enter the kitchen, he found both of his siblings eating lunch and their eyes turned to him. Gaara's expression told his siblings that something needed to be said and they awaited his speech.

Suddenly, Gaara couldn't find his voice. He parted his full lips slightly as if he were trying to start a conversation, but nothing came out.

How does he start a conversation about nothing?

He narrowed his eyes, becoming frustrated with his predicament and he watched his siblings softly smile at him.

"Gaara…" Temari started and it sounded as if she were trying to help him in his sudden quest, like she was trying to encourage him…

He didn't need their encouragement. In fact, their encouragement made him feel weak, smaller, and insignificant. He had always felt that he was more of the older sibling than either of the two who he had considered annoyances (now upgraded to gray existences). He was stronger and had more control over the both… But now that they were trying to pry into his life or lack there of, he felt like the youngest, which he was. He didn't like it.

He grit his teeth, baring them slightly, letting out a low frustrated growl and suddenly his siblings looked worried.

"Gaara?" Temari questioned and Gaara couldn't take it anymore. This was not working for him, not without the aid of Naruto. He turned around sharply and headed for the door, picking up his gourd on the way out. He could hear Kankurou call out to him, but he ignored it.

…

That had been a pitiful failure. He hadn't even managed to form one syllable and was back to square one. Frustrated and confused and still lonely.

Naruto had said that night that Gaara had met him through the open window, it would take years and a lot of time and patience. Gaara had tried for years as a younger child. He had tried and failed, because the overwhelming thought of his instability and great power was too much for his village members to handle.

Gaara was never one to start conversations however, unless they were to prove a point or to make sure his siblings weren't starting anything unnecessary, like Kankurou had tried to that little brat friend of Naruto's back when they had first met the other Genin.

Maybe he was going about this whole friend thing the wrong way. How had Naruto done it, he wondered… He was almost positive that the other boy had given them no choice and permanently imprisoned himself in their lives until they grew accustomed to his presence and accepted him slowly, one by one.

Gaara recalls staring longingly after kids that he would like to have played with. He was young and fragile in mind and heart at that time, making it much easier for Shukaku to toy with him and allow him the power to act upon his rage.

As he walked down the semi barren streets of Suna, people slinking along the shadows of the buildings, praying to their Kazekage that Gaara didn't notice them, Gaara came across a familiar sight.

"Aw man! Now what are we supposed to do? It's all the way up there!"

The voice yelled out and Gaara was snapped from his thoughts, his gaze and attention focusing on the source. Annoying little pests. He observed them however to determine what their fuss was about.

It was then that he noticed the ball located diagonally across from their gaze, on top of a wall ledge. It was so familiar, a memory Gaara did not treasure.

"_Gaara-sama! Please stop it!"_

He could still hear that treacherous and deceitful voice cry out for him to stop, but not until Yashamaru had been battered a bit. Gaara was still a child and easily influenced. When he realized what he had done to Yashamaru, he knew he had done something wrong and immediately felt regret for his actions. But the kids had provoked him with names and their unreasonable (he had thought at the time) of him. As a child, he didn't have very good control of his emotions and he became angry, sending his sand to avenge the blow they had done inside of his small chest. With the power of the Shukaku inside of him, a child's anger can become a deadly weapon, and that's what he had been and done.

Again, he had been dealt the card of regret and hoped he could make it up to the child he had hurt unintentionally by bringing him some ointment. He had worn a smile and had apologized as politely as he had been taught, but…

He had received nothing more than a vicious and cruel rejection and a door in his face for his earnest attempts. It was the marking in his life where he realized that no matter how nice he was, people would not accept him and continue to fear him.

Was it his eyes? His face? … Did he really seem that scary that he wouldn't be given a chance? He knew it was really the Shukaku that they all feared, the demon bonded to his body since birth, but… He wasn't Shukaku. He wasn't Shukaku.. Why did they only see the Shukaku? They over looked the innocent child that they had condemned and treated him the same.

And here he was now, observing the same scene over again, years later. He could get the ball down easily for the kids… It was almost like fate was tempting him with a second chance. Gaara almost had the inclination to look around for his favorite blonde who seemed to give him similar second chances, but he knew that was impossible.

Gaara found himself staring at the perplexed kids who were blissfully unaware of his presence, which made him all the more confident. Would he try again? Should he even bother when he knew that it would not be so simple? … Well, if he didn't try because it wouldn't be simple, then it wouldn't be worth trying for… that and he didn't want to digress into the lazy eyed Chuunin.

This would be for Naruto he decided. He would be able to tell Naruto of his attempts with friendship in Suna. Gaara allowed himself an inner smirk at the thought of being able to speak with the blonde that he "missed."

Gaara closed his eyes and gave himself an encouraging nod before opening them again and reaching out a hand to stir the sand at the children's feet, guiding it with his will. He vaguely remembers someone asking him how he controls the sand and he was unable to answer. It was weird because it just came natural, like the sand was an extension of his body, which he treated it as.

"Ah!" there was a startled sound as the children looked from their feet to the rooftop where the sand was headed, curious as to what it was doing and how. It was when the sand grasped the ball like a snake coiling around its prey and fell into a set of pale hands did they grasp what was going on.

Gaara looked briefly at the ball, studying it with his cold piercing eyes and pale hands. This familiar feel underneath his fingertips was driving butterflies into his stomach. He was beginning to feel nervous and second thinking what he was doing. He brought his eyes up to meet the frightened ones of the children.

The way the kids shakily raised their arms to their face and the way their teeth chattered uncontrollably… Their little squeaks… It all indicated their fear… Gaara could practically smell it on them and it made him jittery and excited. Shukaku loved the smell of fear.

No.

Gaara closed his eyes before taking a step towards the kids in order to return their ball. Almost immediately the sand under their small feet shifted as they took a step backwards, causing Gaara to pause.

Gaara brought his arms back towards his body, slowly and he looked at the kids, expression as blank as ever. If he kept advancing, the kids would just keep retreating until they have broken out into a full out run. …

He needed to offer the ball to them in a way that could possibly be non-threatening. He didn't think he was giving off an ominous vibe, but apparently the children thought so. He felt his lips tug into a slight frown.

"Here." Was all he said before extending his arms out carefully, so as not to spook them. Gaara felt like he was coaxing a small animal to him, which he supposed he was.

The kid's eyes widened and they looked at him, caught in his captivating gaze. Gaara made no notion of movement; it was almost impossible to tell if he was breathing. The kid's eye slowly fell back to their normal size after a few minutes and they stood up straight, looking at him curiously, almost as they were sizing him up, trying to analyze his intentions.

Before their young eyes was the most feared being in Suna. Their parents had told them stories of his viciousness and enormous power that was to be feared by all, even the Kazekage. They were always taught to run and hide if they ever saw him. It was equivalent to other parents telling their children "If you see a stranger, don't talk to them. Run straight home."

But, this boy before them didn't seem too bad. If they were assuming right, he seemed to want to return the ball to them… Maybe their parents were wrong about this kid…

Gaara watched himself be scrutinized under their inexperienced gaze. He felt his heart thump in disbelief. They haven't run away yet… Gaara felt himself cling to a hope that this might actually work… Even if they were younger than him, it's possible he could have people from his village that weren't afraid of him.

The thought sent shivers down his spine.

"No! What are you doing! Stay away from him!" he heard someone call and suddenly there was a boy about his age, strikingly resembling the child in the middle of the group.

Gaara looked up and locked eyes with the boy who was glaring intensely at him, striking a defensive pose. Gaara narrowed his mint eyes at the boy. Time froze for the two as they carried out a battle of mentalities. The children watched the sparks fly from the two and they coward at the scene.

Finally the boy who interfered with Gaara's attempts to be friendly stood up straight, never taking his eyes off of him.

"Come on, we'll get you a new ball." The boy said while reaching blindly for his possible sibling's hand. The child took a hold of it and hid behind the older boy, still looking at Gaara.

He had come so close…

He had had the patience to try for this little bit of progress…

And now, his effort was being shot down again and he could feel his blood boil as the sand sifted dangerously around him…

_"What are you doing here?! Go home, monster!"_

That's exactly what was happening now… Wasn't it?

Gaara's body started to shudder as the rage built from the tips of his toes, traveling along his veins and coiling to an explosion in his chest.

Why did this always happen…!?

Why couldn't the give him a chance to rectify himself?!

Gaara's lips twitched slightly into a sadistic smirk and he felt his eyes go wide.

The sight of blood, he hadn't seen it in a while. It was calling to him. Oh how those lovely young ones would look smashing dressed in their own blood. That metallic scent, so familiar…

The sand suddenly rose like a wave, hovering over Gaara's head like a demon. It was like the stained sand had a life of it's own screamed desires for death. It was a weapon. A tool.

The older boy look back at Gaara, his instincts detecting danger in the area. What he saw would be imprinted in him forever. Gaara's eyes were wide and dilated, possessed looking. His smile was tainted with the malice he had been exposed to as a child and all of the stories the boy had heard about Suna's red headed demon came flooding back in a small period of time. It was a brutally honest reality.

The sand dripped over Gaara's being like a viper waiting to strike a defenseless and unsuspecting rodent… and the boy vaguely wondered if this was what it was like to look in the eyes of a reaper?

Blood.

Blood.

He needed to see their blood.

Shukaku wanted to taste their blood and roll around in their death…

And he would give it to him.

Gaara licked his lips, dropping the ball to the ground and raising a hand, painfully slow… It was beautiful to watch his prey wait anxiously for their death.

"_Your eyes. Your eyes tell your story."_

Gaara stopped suddenly and the sand fell to the ground with a thud and a pale hand quickly reached up to grasp the top of his head, doubling over.

What was this?

"_I think I understand you better now."_

N… Naruto?

_"Become the Kazekage someday so that when I become Hokage, you and I can be friends forever."_

Why now?

Gaara let out a frustrated growl, his teeth clenched as if he were in pain, tearing at his red hair with his fingers. He opened one eye and came face to face with faces of fear.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly and he came back to his senses. He shakily and hesitantly released his hair…

What was he doing?

One of the kids breath hitched and took a step back. They had almost been killed.

What had he done?

Suddenly, screams filled the street of Suna and the small group of kids ran for their lives, almost as if a lingering trail of sand was following them.

The pain stopped and Gaara straightened himself out, placing his normal, placid expression on his face…

He closed his eyes, which contained the slightest bit of hurt of them, so insignificant that even he himself wouldn't have noticed.

Gaara stood that way for a few more minutes, watching the empty direction in which the group of children had run off.

He slowly looked over to his side on the ground where he had dropped the ball. He looked at it for a minute more before deciding to gingerly pick it up, almost as if it were made of porcelain and would break under any strenuous pressure.

And he turned and walked away.

115

He was not angry with himself. No, not in the least.

In fact, he was quite proud of what he had done.

Gaara had set out that afternoon in order to practice some of his friendship skills that Naruto had taught him during his brief stay in Konoha. He had come across a situation that could prove to bear fruits in his quest.

However… when one troublesome child showed up, he became provoked by his words and lost his sense of mind. Shukaku took advantage of the slight bout of emotions that had surged through him and tried to satisfy his own needs and desires for blood through his mentally incapable host.

But then…

_"Become the Kazekage someday so that when I become Hokage, you and I can be friends forever."_

Gaara clenched the ball that was in his hands. He had been staring at it as he walked aimlessly through the streets of Suna, completely unaware of any of the usual stares and glares he received from his heartwarming country.

Naruto…

Naruto had stopped him from doing something he might regret. His words had traveled with him over this past few months and when Gaara needed him most, the blonde was still somehow there.

Because of Naruto's words that Gaara had taken heed to, Gaara had been able to suppress Shukaku's desires and regain control of himself… He hadn't hurt anyone this time.

It caused himself to give a brief inward sense of satisfaction at his accomplishment.

He had failed to make any friends; in fact, he may have just decreased the list of possibilities. But, he had done something for the first time in his life. He had overpowered and fought against Shukaku and he felt a bit of relief and pride in this. It was a step towards his ultimate goal: acceptance.

He would become the Kazekage.

The Kazekage was a man or woman of immense power. A person who was respected, loved, and accepted by their country.

That was who he wanted to be… That was all he wanted…

That and… Naruto would be Hokage… He knew it.

If Gaara could become the Kazekage then he would most likely see the blonde.

Gaara closed his eyes. He could only hope.

No.

He could and he would make it happen. He would become the Kazekage no matter the circumstances. Shukaku or no Shukaku. It was too important for him. It was something he wanted and he would have it… the years of being spoiled before the assassination attempts had given him that mentality.

That, and a certain blonde who did no know when to give up.

Gaara halted in his steps and opened his eyes again, staring straight ahead.

Naruto…

He could almost see him. That ridiculous orange jumpsuit tattered from training. His blonde hair blowing slightly and yet resisting the breeze created from Suna's wind. Trademark smile gleaming in the bright sun.

"Oi! Sakura-chan! Sasuke!"

Naruto?

Gaara blinked.

"Ano sa, ano sa!" the blonde giddily called over to his teammates who responded by walking calmly over to their impatient and obviously excited team member.

Naruto was… in… Suna?

"Ahh, Naruto! Calm down, you're embarrassing us!" Gaara heard the pink haired girl who was looking around at all the people stopping to stare at the foreigners, say to the blonde.

"But…" he smiled, his fox like expression appearing. "What about this?" he grinned, holding up an odd trinket from a vendor. It looked like a hairball attached to a metal chain and Gaara wondered briefly why this had interested the blonde so much.

Sakura frowned slightly and put her hands on her hips. Sasuke merely looked off to the side, completely uninterested in the boy's finding.

"You're such and idiot! Don't waste your money on that! Come on, we have to go meet Kakashi-sensei!"

Wait.

Did that mean Naruto was leaving?

This was the first time Gaara has seen the blonde in months and he hasn't even given him a greeting. His feet felt like they had grown attached to the ground however and he had no control over his movement.

"But, Sakura-chan! I need to get a souvenir for Iruka-sensei!" Naruto complained and Sakura was slowly becoming irritated by his persistence and she clenched her fists.

"Shut up, idiot. Just grab your toys and lets go," Sasuke was becoming annoyed by both. Naruto complained too much about nothing and Sakura complained too much about Naruto. He turned his head to the side in a "cool" manner.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto growled out and he seemed as though he were searching for the words to say, however, there was nothing. Naruto was always so frustrated by Sasuke and the Uchiha seemed to always have the upper hand on Naruto's poorly thought through arguments, allowing the dark haired ninja to give a little smirk.

What should he do? Gaara closed his eyes in thought, still holding the ball in his hands as if it were an object that would give him all the answers to his questions.

Should he call out to him and let the blonde know of his presence? What would he say after that?

Gaara felt his chest constrict and a surge of special excitement flowed through every orifice on his body.

Naruto.

It was good to see that confident smile and it made his body feel warm… or maybe it was the sun beating down on his dark clothing. But whatever it was, it was pleasant. He felt lighter looking at the blonde, like a burden was being lifted from his chest.

Then, something caught Naruto's eyes.

"Ah? … Gaara?" Naruto noticed the red head who seemed to be deep in thought, oblivious to the world around him.

Should he, or shouldn't he? Gaara was perplexed by the question. He wanted to see Naruto because he hasn't seen his friend for too long… but for some reason, the thought of communicating with the blonde made him nervous. He hated feeling week in the presence of the blonde and he grit his teeth.

"Oi." Gaara looked up and came face to face with the blue eyes that have been plaguing his mind for the past few months. He blinked once, not having expected the blonde to have noticed let alone come over to him. Was he that deep in thought that he didn't notice the loud mouth approaching?

Naruto grinned when he realized he had the red head's attention.

"Yo. What's up? What's the ball for?"

Gaara responded with no more than a blink and it made Naruto wonder briefly is Gaara really even knew he was there. He waved a sun kissed hand in front of Gaara's face and the icy eyes focused completely on Naruto and he upturned his brows slightly.

"Why are you here?" Naruto frowned at the question. Didn't Gaara want to see him? How could he not? Naruto was the best person in Konoha as far as the blonde was concerned.

"I had a mission and we happened to stop through Suna," Naruto frowned, which looked more like a pout in Gaara's eyes. His eyes were squinted like he was trying to examine something very closely. Closely… Naruto was very close to Gaara at the moment and the red head felt himself looking down at the ball in his hands.

Naruto followed his gaze and watched Gaara who was watching the ball. Naruto looked back up at Gaara's face and noticed it hadn't changed at all. He was so weird…

When Gaara was done thinking with whatever ran through his messy red haired head, he looked up at Naruto. Naruto could tell he had something swirling around in his pale eyes. They were interesting to look at, because they were accentuated nicely by the dark rings surrounding his eyes. What was even more was the way they shone whenever something seemed mildly amusing or how they dulled when he was upset by something. Naruto spent much of his time looking into Gaara's eyes when they had last been together. It was the only way to really tell what he was thinking.

"Hm?" Naruto was confused by the thought held in Gaara's eyes however and tilted his head to the side, huffing out his cheeks.

"Will you… sleep over my home?" Gaara asked, pausing in between, indicating that whatever he was about to say, was a bit awkward for him to ask.

Naruto was caught off guard by this question.

Gaara stared intently at the blonde, awaiting his response. The captivating eyes unnerved Naruto a bit, nor was he sure he wanted to spend the night away from Konoha… in Gaara's home… with Gaara.

Yes, Naruto had Gaara spend the night with him a few months back and he had trusted him then to not kill him in the middle of the night. And it wasn't really Gaara that made him hesitant to say yes… It was more so… Gaara was a very weird child and frankly, he was a little frightened of what he might find in his home.

He imagined walking into Gaara's home and sitting down on the couch.

"_Ah what lovely designs on this blanket! They look so abstract!" he would say, turning to rub the red and white designed blanket hanging on the couch. _

…

"_Oh… That's from when I killed our neighbors cat," Gaara walks over and picks it up. "I forgot I left that there." Naruto is left with a morbid imprint on his brain. _

Naruto looked behind him at his teammates and scratched the side of his cheek. They were watching him and waiting for him to come back so they could leave the sand country.

"I don't know Gaara…." He turned back to his friend. He really wanted to go back to Konoha after his mission.

However, when he met Gaara's mint green eyes something in him caved. Gaara would never ask things like this before. Gaara rarely ever said anything to anyone when he was in Konoha… Was the red headed boy attempting to be a friend to Naruto?

Naruto looked into those dark ringed eyes and he saw sincerity and hope. Anxiousness. And somehow he lost the gall to tell his friend no, instead, giving him a lopsided smile.

"Okay." He responded and watched Gaara's eyes widen and it brings a smile to Naruto's lips. "Wait here," he says before turning and jogging back over to his teammates.

Gaara stares after him, disbelieving what he had just heard.

Naruto had agreed to spend the night in his home?

He hadn't been expecting the blonde to answer him in such a way. He had been full out prepared for a refusal and with good reason. Naruto was headed back from a mission, he probably wanted to get back to his apartment and relax… They didn't even really know each other that well.

But he couldn't deny the lightness he felt in his chest, struggling to find the word. He knew he's felt it once before, but it was so long ago… Is this what happiness felt like?

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch at the thought and suddenly, he felt like he was six years old again. Somebody had accepted him…

Gaara lowered his head slightly and allowed himself wonder how it would feel to walk home with someone beside him. Someone who wouldn't run away and would share with him smiles and exchange words. Someone who wouldn't fear him and would help him show the village that he was trying to change his ways from the monster that he was, to the monster he would like to be.

He let himself relish in the feeling procured from these thoughts and he looked up at the blonde who was being reprimanded playfully by his teammates, dropping the ball to the soft ground.

_Thank you, Naruto._

000

Next Chapter: Suna

A/N: Cry… It still ended up long. And if you look at what I had plotted, it looks like it would have barely made four pages ;.; I hope you guys enjoy it though! I'm not sure if I kept them in character at all. I've been writing this at 3 and 4 in the morning so there's probably a lot of typos and things so please just ignore them lol Anyways enjoy! I keep writing this just for you guys!

I just wanted to point out, because I'm not sure how to integrate this into the story or even if I should. Naruto is a symbol of hope. He has provided hope to Gaara that he could one day change. In doing so, he has indirectly given hope to Temari and Kankurou to have a real family someday. By giving Gaara hope to be approved and loved by Suna as the Kazekage, he has given hope to Konoha to have peaceful relations with the sand and a powerful ally in international affairs. Lol Dunno, just felt the need to point that out because it was something I wanted to get across, but I don't think I can with Temari and Kankurou left a bit in the dark as to what is going on with Gaara and who his friend is and that Naruto is a dimwit so he wouldn't make the connection. That and Gaara isn't the Kazekage yet. Lol Anyways, let me know how you liked it: ) omg It still ended up pretty long. Well, at least you guys like long chapter lol Hope you enjoyed!!


	5. Suna

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Kyaaah!!  I love it when you guys review!! It makes me so excited!! I'm taking off a semester of school to earn some money to go to a school out in California (I'm in CT) which has no dorms. So I'm gonna be very busy until a little after August and updates might be slow, but they will come eventually. Lol Anyways, I've planned out the rest of the story in detail so all that's left to do is expand it to the ridiculously long chapters that you guys seem to enjoy. : ) It takes me a while to get these chapters done and I just recently started a One Piece fic (The Absence of a Swordsman) that won't be quite as long as this, but I'll be working on that along with this. Thanks again for the reviews!!

000

_"He let himself relish in the feeling procured from these thoughts and he looked up at the blonde who was being reprimanded playfully by his teammates, dropping the ball to the soft ground._

_Thank you, Naruto._"

Naruto jogged back over to his redheaded companion after receiving only one verbal insult and one punch to the head from a clearly annoyed Sakura. Gaara briefly wondered if the insults and physical abuse were signs of affection for the blonde. He himself sometimes felt compelled to knock some sense into the sometimes-irritating Kyuubi holder.

Maybe he should try it at another time… The blonde didn't seem to mind and in fact was grinning as he came back… Maybe Naruto was a masochist…

The redhead was jogged from his thoughts as a ball of orange stopped a few feet from him and placed a hand behind his head.

"Hehe, sorry about that," Naruto said modestly, his trademark fox like face in place. "Sakura-chan and Sasuke are going to convince Kakashi-sensei to spend the night in Suna so we'll leave tomorrow morning." Gaara nodded in approval.

"Let's go then!" Naruto stated, walking off in no particular direction, leaving a dazed Gaara in his wake before the redhead cast on last glance at the forgotten ball planted in the sand and crossed his arms, following the object of his cluttered thoughts.

Sasuke watched the third member of Team 7 happily run over to one of their former enemies. He wasn't sure how this had happened, but what was done was done. Naruto was known for making rash decisions earning him the title of "number one unpredictable ninja," in Konoha.

Sasuke smirked as he watched the blonde speak to the ever-silent redhead. Only Naruto was capable of turning a mentally unstable enemy into an ally and friend. Naruto started walking off, expecting Gaara to follow.

The dark haired ninja narrowed his eyes slightly at the redhead who stayed behind for a few seconds before glancing at a ball and then following the other member of his team. Why Gaara of all people?

Gaara's power was inhuman. He killed for the sake of killing as his own battle with the redheaded demon showed… He should have seen this coming though…

He watched the battle between Naruto and Gaara. He was not blind. Naruto had defeated Gaara not only in body, but in mind. Gaara's impenetrable shield was cracked and any little bit of sanity that he had managed to retain had been shattered by the blonde, leaving him a shell of empty and confused thoughts.

Sasuke had been all prepared to fight verbally if not physically with the redhead when he arrived at the scene. But somehow… Gaara voice had seemed soft and broken, almost lost and defeated. Not like it had been only a few minutes prior.

Gaara's siblings had come and retrieved their brother, leaving as quickly as they had come. The battle was over and Sasuke felt himself glancing towards the blonde who had saved everyone from the terror of the demon bearer only to find the barest and sincerest of smiles on his lips.

It was then that Sasuke had noticed the bond the two had created, even if neither of them noticed. He couldn't be sure in what way they were connected, but it was there. And their current friendship as of now proves of its existence.

The dark haired Sharingan user couldn't help but feel the slightest bit jealous of the redhead. As much as he loathe to admit it, he has always thought of himself as Naruto's best friend and vice versa. It was a subject that was left unspoken between the two of them and would remain as such forever if not addressed.

To see the blonde talking with Sabaku no Gaara and specially treating him with sleepovers and the sort irritated him, even though he knew of the bond that existed between himself and the blonde. It was as strong as any other and he had enough confidence that it would not be broken.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke directed his attention to the pink haired ninja who had been babbling nonsense at him for the past few minutes. He hadn't even taken notice of her presence.

He stared at her briefly, watching her facial expression change from one of confusion to one of shock, a slight blush appearing beneath her eyes. Her feelings for him were as obvious as Naruto's stupidity as far as he was concerned.

Sakura was a beautiful girl, annoying, and completely useless though she had potential if she could only draw her head from the hole in the ground she had plastered with pictures of himself. She was like Naruto in a way, except that Naruto was more reliable in battle than her.

She was part of their team still and he even considered her a close friend. He would risk his life to save her as he would do for the blonde. The three of them were a team and that wouldn't change… ever.

"Let's go Sakura." He finally said and turned to head in the opposite direction that the two teenage ninja's had taken off in.

"Okay Sasuke-kun!" Sakura smiled and fell into step beside the dark haired ninja and the two disappeared into the Suna crowd in search of their teacher.

111

This entire situation was completely unexpected. For Gaara to invite him to spend the night. For Sasuke and Sakura to agree. To run into Gaara at all was completely unforeseen… Though he supposed the latter wasn't as farfetched as it seemed considering he was in the redheads' village.

So here he was now, once again walking in front of the redhead who remained ever silent. Naruto had been to other people's houses before and had somewhat recently had others over his own for the night, but Gaara's house seemed somewhat different. He knew Gaara well enough to know that the silent boy would not speak anything of his home nor would he say anything to break the current silence between them.

Naruto popped open one of his azure eyes to peer at said silent boy behind him, disturbing his normal fox like features.

…

Gaara stared at the back of Naruto's head, deep in thought. He had uncharacteristically asked someone to spend the night at his house. Not only did he do such a thing, he had not planned out what they would do at his house… and they weren't too far from it to begin with, leaving the redhead with little room to improvise for the avid blonde.

Suddenly, Gaara became aware of the absence of the blonde who was no longer in front of him. The redhead looked quickly to his side where Naruto had resituated himself and Gaara gave him a curious look.

Why did Naruto decided to walk next to him?

Nobody walks _next_ to Gaara. Ever. Walking next to him meant something along the lines of having a comfortable connection to him… which Naruto was confirming. What was he thinking? …

Here in Suna Naruto could walk on the streets freely without gaining a single look of scorn. No one knew who he was nor did they know of his burden. If Naruto walked next to Gaara like this, he would be stared at not as a normal person… Shouldn't the blonde want to stand ahead of Gaara? That way he wouldn't be guilty of association?

Though this had seemed awkward to Gaara, Naruto felt much more comfortable standing next to the redhead. There was something about the dark ringed boy trailing him that was very stalker-like. Frankly, Gaara was not what he considered cute and cuddly… and even if it was completely unintentional, Gaara was extremely creepy when he was silently following you…

Though… Naruto cast a glance over at his redheaded friend. The Suna native kept his arms folded across his chest and his eyes forward. His pace did not change… But Naruto was certain of the sudden rigidity of his companion. Did Gaara not like people at his side? …

Gaara was sure Naruto could hear his heart pounding. It thudded against his chest in excitement and he tightened his arms around his chest in order to keep it in. No one has ever really bothered to walk _beside _him. It was either Gaara in front, Gaara in back, or in more common circumstances… Gaara walking alone.

It thrilled him that he would have somebody next to him on his way home and some part of him hoped that people would stare today in hopes that maybe they would see that he really wasn't out to kill everybody that crossed his path anymore. He almost felt pride in having Naruto walk next to him. It really made him feel somewhat normal and … well… excited. There really wasn't much other way to describe the jittery feeling running throughout his limbs.

Though there was a slight feeling of guilt for using Naruto's presence as a tool to show off to his village. But even so… Even if they were not in Suna or anywhere in particular, Gaara still appreciated the gesture of standing next to him.

"Oi… Gaara?" The blonde's familiar voice pulled him out of his thought, giving his heart one last jump before allowing it to settle. He made no physical motion to indicate his surprise other than to acknowledge the blonde's presence with a flicker of the eyes in his direction.

Gaara had inwardly shuddered however due to the way he had been addressed. Why did his name sound only so pleasant coming from his lips?

"… Do you have any ramen?" Naruto squinted his eyes, making a slight grimace, a hand clenching the bright material covering his torso.

Of all the things to talk about! Though he should have expected it… It appeared that top three things in the young ninja's life were friends, his desire to become the Hokage, and ramen.

Gaara felt his face frown slightly as he returned his vision forward again. To Naruto it looked like his redheaded friend was choosing to ignore him, so he kept is stare in place so as not to let his question be passed up. However, Gaara was simply trying to think if Temari or Kankurou had any interest in ramen. If they did, then they might have it at his home.

It was then that he realized he knew nothing about his siblings other than their names and abilities really. He hadn't particularly cared to know before nor had the need to know about their personal lives. Though at the moment it seemed that such information might be helpful for being a host to a friend.

Finally deciding on his answer he shook his head as "no." If he had been looking he wouldn't have missed the frown the blonde gave him… How could any household be sustained without ramen?

"So then… can we get some on the way?" Naruto questioned. Normally he would just outright declare that they absolutely must buy some ramen if he was going to survive in the red head's domain. However, he was nervous as it was to be headed into Gaara's home for the sheer fact that as much as he was Gaara's friend, he still didn't know him that well. And on top of it, he was afraid to know what a home without ramen was like…

Gaara once again turned to look at his companion. This would not be a wise idea. Gaara was not exactly the most welcome of guests in Suna stores and would possibly draw attention to Naruto. The weapon of Suna and a Konoha ninja cooperating with one another in public would not be a common sight and they might end up coming face to face with some of Suna's elite ninja for questioning. It would be quite suspicious…

However… Naruto's happiness would be worth the small risk. Besides, the little excursion might allow him time to brainstorm ideas to entertain the ninja he was inviting into his home. So he instead replied with another nod of confirmation.

Gaara could see the blonde's blue eyes light up profusely and it disgusted him and pleasured him at the same time listening to his friend laugh with excitement… Though it led him to wonder if Naruto was more excited about getting and eating the ramen than seeing him. It was a bit silly to be jealous over an inanimate pack of food.

"Come on Gaara! We don't have all day!" Naruto ran ahead of the dark ringed boy who merely frowned at this action and stopped in his tracks.

It took Naruto a minute to realize he had lost his companion and turned around to spot Gaara staring at him, corners of his mouth drawn tightly downward and a noticeable furrow his brow. What did Gaara stop for? Did Naruto say something wrong?

"What'd you stop for?" Naruto had to ask.

It took the red head a moment to respond, first giving the blonde a look that asked if he was really that stupid or was just pretending.

"You have no idea where the mart is … Naruto."

Naruto's face took on an interesting shade of pink as realization dawned on him and Gaara thought it fitting.

"Ah… Ah-ah-ah-ah! You've caught on to my test quickly! That's exactly the kind of skill I'd expect from my pupil!" Naruto quickly crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head briefly as if in approval.

However this gesture seemed to bring the redheaded boy into a state of confusion. How was he in any way Naruto's pupil? … They weren't even from the same village…

"Pupil?" He raised a hairless brow.

"Well Gaara my friend," Naruto started in a cocky manner. He missed Gaara's evident blush at being out right referred to as a "friend." "Being the nice guy I am, I've taken you as a pupil to teach you the ways of friendship and basic sociality's. And if you really want you can even call me Naruto-sensei as a sign of appreciation for my greatness!"

By the time Naruto had opened his eyes, Gaara's blush had been long gone and in place of it was a highly intimidating and irritated glare. He gulped at the raging red head. Did he say something wrong?

"Or not… That's fine too! Hehehe," the blonde held out his hands and waved them as if to cool off Gaara's steaming head.

No way in Shukaku's hell would Sabaku no Gaara refer to Naruto as "sensei." As much as he definitely appreciated Naruto's gesture to help him out, he would not bring himself to that level. Naruto was strong… but not very smart and Gaara would be damned if he ever remained a level below the Kyuubi holder… at least for now.

Gaara closed his eyes and turned around, walking away from Naruto, leaving the blonde a little stunned.

"H-hey! Oi! Gaara! Wait for me!" Naruto yelled after his friend who was leaving him in the dust.

…

It wasn't very long before the two boys arrived at the market store. Gaara looked at it with his light green eyes, standing about ten feet from the entrance. He watched as people exited, caught sight of him and ran either left or right… Either direction led away from him. He frowned at this…

It was always frustrating for him if he ever needed anything, people ran away from him, so he never got it. Though previously he had found it fine that people ran from him in fear, it now bothered him more than anything. He was changing and it bothered him that they couldn't see that.

Naruto looked sideways at Gaara, noticing the slight discomfort of his companion… though the redhead wasn't really showing it outside of the small frown played on his lips. It was a situation that Naruto could understand since he has been in it before himself… in situations like this he had always wished he had somebody by his side to help him along.

"Come on, Gaara," Naruto said, giving him a slight nudge in the arm with his elbow before walking forward into the mart.

The blonde watches as the inside of the little store falls silent and all faces turn to look at Gaara who seemed to be ignoring their expressions. Naruto felt a little guilty for dragging him into this situation and decided it would be best for him to quickly find the instant ramen, pay, and leave. Naruto himself wasn't sure of the temperament of the people of Suna and thus was unsure of how long their stay would be welcomed.

Gaara glared at the citizens who looked at him with fear. He despised them for being fearful and yet he couldn't blame them. He was a monster after all. But even monsters can change and he hated them for not being able to see this.

The people seemed perplexed as to Naruto's presence with Gaara and even more so confused by Gaara's less than hostile attitude with him. It was no doubt though that the Suna residents believed that Gaara was in the store to try and fatten up the poor Konoha ninja who didn't know any better so the red headed demon could eat him when he was nice and plump.

Naruto quickly finds the ramen and heads to the check out center, Gaara in tow, never more than a few steps away from him. He hands the poor scared woman in the front his purchase and he absent-mindedly searches for change and hands it to her.

Before, Gaara would choose to stay a few feet away from Naruto or even behind him. But at the moment Gaara was sticking much closer than normal… more than likely because of the current circumstances… and it causes him to wonder if he and Gaara were the same? Even if it was a subconscious effort, Gaara was doing exactly what Naruto had always wanted to do in a store. Stick close to someone.

"A-a-ano… I'm sorry… B-but this- this isn't e-enough," the girl stammered and held out her hand to show the two dimes Naruto had given to her and it snapped him from his thoughts.

"Ah-ah!" the blonde quickly rummaged through his little frog pouch emptying the contents only to find that he had no more money other than the twenty cents he had given the poor girl. On reflex he turned to the redhead behind him.

"Um, Gaara?" he sweated a bit before clasping his hands together and putting on a sheepish smile with that fox-like look plastered on his face. "Do you have any money I can borrow?"

Gaara glanced at his friend for a second before meeting the eyes of the young girl and reaching slowly into a pocket under his sash and pulled out a few dollars and handed them to Naruto who in turn quickly turned around and apologized to the girl who looked downright befuddled and turned to Gaara, grabbing his ramen and leading the way out the door.

Gaara could hear the silent whispers as he left of how Gaara had done a good human deed… Maybe their perceptions would be swayed a little in his favor? He secretly wondered if that was possible.

"Sorry." The sound caught the dark ringed boy off guard and he spared a glance in Naruto's direction. It took him a few seconds to respond because he was unsure of why Naruto had apologized. But the guilty look in the blonde's eyes told him all he needed to know.

"It's fine," he replied as a way of saying it doesn't bother him that much anymore… they way the people acted around him that is… Though it was a half lie. It did bother him, but at the same time, he was accustomed to this behavior.

Naruto cast a downward glance and gave a small smile. He and Gaara really were the same, weren't they? Well… in a sense.

They had taken different paths, but…

All alone in the world and feared for what had been done to them at birth… But at least they know now that they're not alone… There is someone who understands what it's like… What they've been through.

The two walked silently on the dusty roads of Suna to Gaara's house, relishing in the company and reassurance of one another.

112

They had been walking silently for nearly ten minutes and Naruto was beginning to wonder if Gaara was just leading him around at random until the ever-quiet redhead spoke and assured him that they were almost there.

It was about that point that Naruto felt his stomach clench. He was trying to imagine what kind of home Gaara lived in and his first thought was a rooftop… He wasn't sure why but it seemed to fit the redhead quite well. Then he remembered that Gaara did have siblings and that there must be a house somewhere.

He tried to imagine the house and all he could come up with was a gigantic, dark, mansion made out of sand… And his room… Could very well be the rooftop.

No, he was sure Gaara had at least a room to store things in. This little thought caused Naruto to wonder what Gaara would store in his room? Was it messy? Was it neat? Was it plain or did he have things hanging up? … Naruto was now very curious.

What kind of room did a former killer have?

"Naruto," Naruto looked up at the mention of his name and noticed Gaara had stopped at a door and unfolded his arms. "We're here."

Naruto looked at the door and at the rest of the house. No big steel doors. No gothic windows. No walls made out of sand… In fact, the house looked obscenely normal and very much like the surrounding houses. There was no way Naruto would have been able to point it out as Gaara's home.

Gaara waited for a minute, watching Naruto look up at his home in surprise. It was nothing special so he wondered what Naruto found so interesting about it. It looked nearly like every other home in Suna. What was he expecting it to look like? A prison? Surely Naruto thought that Gaara had a little more class than that… He was honest enough with himself to say that he did carry himself fairly highly since he had always gotten what he wanted as a child. Everything except love and friendship.

But the Shukaku container was getting slightly impatient standing in the Suna sun watching his dumbfounded friend and reached the handle to go inside, hoping his actions would trigger the blonde to move it.

The sound of the door clicking and opening did indeed pull the blonde out of his plight of blind staring and jogged over swiftly to his friend and entered into the home, stopping in mid entrance to wait for Gaara who was bending over stiffly to fidget with his footwear.

Naruto bent slightly to the side to get a better look at what Gaara was doing and realized that Gaara was taking off his shoes and Naruto let out a small gulp when he grasped that he should really be doing the same.

He placed his bag of ramen on the ground for a moment and crouched down to undo the two buckles on his ninja sandals, letting his eyes briefly wander to Gaara's rigid body and allowing a thought as to if the red head was uncomfortable or just naturally inflexible, flow by.

Naruto couldn't help but let his eyes drift a little to Gaara's feet as he took of the sandals and noticed a very noticeable tan line at his toes. To Naruto, Gaara had seemed very pale to begin with, but the skin on the rest of his feet was almost as white as parchment… and again, like the rest of Gaara's body as the blonde had taken notice of in that magical day in the hot spring, they looked boyish. His feet looked soft and small. There appeared to be little to no calluses. His nails were neatly trimmed and at this moment Naruto thought it was slightly odd that they weren't painted.

He guessed it was just another thing that made Gaara look less like a ninja and supposed that he had to make up for his un-intimidating body with his scary glares and ominous aura… Otherwise no one would really take him seriously.

Naruto tried to imagine Gaara with a sweet and smiling face, but a quick flicker of the eyes to Gaara's features causes a tired grimace and he reminds himself that that could never happen… Gaara smiling might make him feel a bit more uneasy than normal.

Naruto looked down at his own feet, which also bore the same tan line, though his skin was naturally a bit darker than Gaara's, and wiggled his toes. They didn't look at nice as Gaara's feet, being a bit bigger and clumsier looking… And boy did his nails need trimming… He might actually be able to take out Kakashi's other eye with one of those…

Feeling slightly embarrassed he stood up and covered one foot with his other as Gaara neatly put his own shoes against the wall next to two other pairs and placed his giant gourd beside them.

Not even sparing a glance back at the blonde, Gaara walked forward into the hallway towards a faint noise.

Naruto quietly followed suit, looking at the hominess of the interior. The walls were a light sunflower yellow and the floors were all hardwood as far as Naruto could see. He could see a few pictures hanging up on the walls and a small bookshelf that reached up to his waist. Some interesting shiny trinkets sat on top of it.

Gaara stopped at the first entryway on the right of the hallway, looking in at the source of the noise. Naruto stopped as well and peered inside around the corner only to see a fluff of blonde hair and a fluff of brown hair staring at…

"Is that at a television?!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly, pointing at the screen and dropping his ramen to hold his head. Televisions were not an everyday thing in households. They were very expensive and hard to come by. Not something the average family could afford…

The owners of the blonde and brown hair turned around sharply at the noise, half rising as if to attack an enemy. Such was the reactions of ninja. When the two siblings caught sight of their brother their faces softened a bit, until their eyes glanced curiously towards Naruto who gulped as he realized his little outburst had gained him some unwanted attention.

It was then that Naruto remembered that he had made friends with Gaara… not his siblings. And he was sure his siblings were rational beings, but the last time he had encountered them was when he had beaten the snot out of their little brother and he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit intimidated under their watchful eyes.

Temari's eyes drifted over to Gaara's to see if he would provide her with answers or even talk to her. That morning hadn't exactly gone well as she remembered Gaara attempting conversation and storming off into the middle of Suna.

Gaara only stared back at her with unemotional eyes instead of ones full of hate and anger, meaning her status hadn't been shifted down into the loathing department of the redhead's mental social order. So she relaxed a little, though she knew now she wasn't going to get anything out of him and instead turned her gaze back to Naruto who had begun to sweat.

Gaara turns slightly and grasped the bag of ramen out of Naruto's tightly clenched fist.

"I'll bring this into the kitchen," Gaara stated blandly before walking silently away, leaving a nervous Naruto trapped in the gaze of his siblings.

Naruto shot a look of distress in Gaara's direction as he retreated down the hallway before looking back at Kankurou who for some unknown reason was still wearing his face paint and Temari who seemed to be waiting for something from Naruto.

The blonde felt compelled to do something or say something. Anything that would break this awkward silence. Maybe he should explain himself? After all, they were former enemies and he was from a different nation and was suddenly in their home… Unannounced.

Naruto put on a shaky weak smile with his customary fox features, raising a hand in peace.

"Y-yo!" He started off, already sure this was going to be a bad speech. "Uzumaki Naruto here… But you already know that. Hehehe…" He felt himself trail off.

Temari raised an eyebrow at him and this for some reason encouraged him a little. He felt more comfortable about himself when people doubted him versus when something is expected of him. He supposed it was because he was unpredictable and was damn good at being it.

"I bumped into Gaara on the streets and he invited me over for the night," Naruto finally managed to say with his normal confidence. This confession had caused both of the sand sibling's eyes to widen a little and they turned their heads to each other almost as if on cue.

Naruto watched the two curiously as they seemed to have some sort of mental conversation. Gaara's whole family was just a bit weird in his opinion…

It was all beginning to make sense now… Gaara had mentioned Uzumaki Naruto on their previous trip to Konoha and had also mentioned making a friend. They hadn't actually planned on it being the same person who had defeated their brother… and more than that… Gaara was becoming comfortable enough with this blonde haired brat to invite him over to his place.

They wondered what kind of mental strain the poor red head had gone through to procure those words…

Naruto was a former enemy who had been strong enough to take down Shukaku and neither sibling was sure if he could be trusted, but…

Kankurou gave a small nod to Temari who nodded in return, turning her gaze back to the blonde who had be watching them with mild interest.

To Naruto, it felt as though he had just been given a judgment sentence and was about to hear it verbalized.

Blue eyes locked with the hard ones of Temari for what seemed like an eternity before her face softened and a smile formed on her face.

"Well then… Welcome to our family, _Uzumaki Naruto_." Temari said, an all too wide grin on her face and a detected hint of mischief in her voice as she formed his name. "It's not everyday that Gaara brings home a friend."

Kankurou gave a small smirk. This was the first time Gaara had brought anyone home really… and who were they to deny their brother's attempts at friendship after his so many hardships. And as much as they would have loved for their brother to make friends with someone a little less annoying than the blonde, they were sure that his openness and acceptance was exactly was Gaara needed.

Naruto grinned at this and gave a little rub to the underside of his nose followed by a thumbs up.

"Thanks a lot!" Naruto said before running off down the hallway to where he had seen Gaara.

Once Naruto had left the room Temari turned to Kankurou once more.

"Well this sure was a surprise…" Temari started.

"Not really… Gaara's always had weird preferences, why should his choice in friends be any different?" Kankurou said nonchalantly, casting a glance at the doorway again.

"I didn't mean that!" Temari growled at her brother. "I just meant him bringing someone here in general…" Kankurou winced a bit at the shout before nodded in agreement and the two fell into an awkward silence… What was there to say? … What words could express what they were feeling for their brother at this particular moment? …

…

Temari sighed.

"You're right… he does have weird taste in friends too. Who'd want to be friends with that twerp?" she said a bit defeated.

Kankurou snickered.

113

Naruto was walking down the cozy hallway of Gaara's home, when he noticed a picture on the wall. Something about the picture made him stop and he wasn't quite sure what it was until further inspection.

The picture seemed pretty normal seeing as it was a family in the picture. On the left side of the picture was a young girl and a young boy who looked much like the two siblings sitting together in the other room. Behind them stood a tall man who looked strikingly like Kankurou without the face paint leading Naruto to believe that this was their father, the Kazekage. _Former_ Kazekage, Naruto reminded himself.

Neither child was smiling, though the Kazekage had a smirk of his own on.

Blue eyes traveled across the frame of the picture to the right side of the picture where a young redheaded boy stood alone bearing a look similar to the one he wore when he was thoroughly pissed off.

Naruto frowned at this. Why was Gaara all alone in this picture?

He wasn't even just standing of to the side of the picture. He was a couple of feet away from it.

How lonely that picture must feel for Gaara when he walks by it…

Naruto gave it one last glare before retreating to the left and entering the room he believed Gaara had walked through.

Upon entering the room Naruto threw on a large grin and placed his hands behind his head, lacing his fingers together.

"Hey Gaara-kun!" Naruto said in a small sing song voice. Gaara who had been putting something inside a white cabinet turned around sharply and glared at Naruto who wasn't sure if the sign of eminent death was directed at the "kun" he had placed at the end of Gaara's name or at the musical tone he had expressed it with.

Though after a moment Gaara's face softened back into it's placid form and Naruto frowned a bit from behind. He hated it when Gaara gave him that glare that shut him up. It always made things so awkward for him to say later on. He needed constant noise to make him comfortable, which was difficult from someone who barely said a word.

But now they were here, inside Gaara's home. And it was unlike anything Naruto ever imagined it would be… and what would they do? He wondered. The decision for Naruto's arrival at Gaara's house was extremely impromptu and he was pretty sure Gaara didn't have anything planned.

"So… Do you have any games we could play?" Naruto asked, making his way over to a chair at the kitchen table, pulling it out and sitting on it backwards, resting his arms on the back of it and his head on top of his arms.

Gaara gave him a little frown at this.

"No." Gaara's frown was not directed at Naruto for asking, but more so towards himself. In the amount of time it had taken them to walk to the market and to his home he had not been able to think of a single activity. Nothing really interested him and he had never "hung out" with people before in Suna so he was unsure of what there was to do with two people.

He wasn't exactly being the best of hosts right now and that frustrated him as well. Naruto had been kind enough to even demonstrate for him what a sleep over is supposed to entail.

Naruto sighed as he had expected as much from Gaara. He had to give the boy credit though. Asking Naruto to sleep over his home was a major feat for the red head… Though now it would be up to him to decide what they could do for the rest of the night.

…

Well… he hadn't seen _all_ of Gaara's home yet… and as much as that t.v. was mind boggling, the part he had been particularly anxious to see hadn't even been mentioned and the blonde debated mentally if he should even mention it.

"Well… I kind of want to see your room," Naruto said as bluntly as he could put it. No reasons as to why he wanted to… just that he wanted to.

Gaara was a little taken back by this statement and he drew his brows tightly together. Why the sudden interest in his room?

"There's nothing to do in it." Gaara replied, hoping it would cause Naruto to lose interest in it.

However, Naruto was always good at being persistent and he was sure he could get away with a little more pestering before getting his head bitten off.

"Come on Gaara! What's there to hide? I just want to see," Naruto prodded, tilting his head a little to the side with his mischievous face plastered on.

Frankly, Gaara didn't feel comfortable letting the blonde into his sanctuary. As much as he was grateful to Naruto, he was afraid the blonde might break something… then again, that might give him something to do during the night while everyone's asleep.

He let his mint green eyes meet Naruto's smile and was instantly overcome, which was a bad sign. He was beginning to become soft with the Kyuubi holder… Though for now he would tell himself that if that is what the guest wants, then the host will provide it.

Gaara let a little nod, crossing his arms and promptly walking out of the kitchen, a shocked Naruto in tow. The blonde hadn't been expecting Gaara to give in so easily, which caused him to wonder what else he could get away with, with the dark ringed boy.

Naruto suddenly became very nervous, not having prepared himself quickly enough for seeing the red head's room. Part of him wanted to know more about Gaara and what his style and interests were like… and part of him was a bit afraid of what he might find. This was a former killer who he has befriended and has taken great pride in getting to know the lost child that is Gaara… but it could be a dangerous path as well.

As soon as they exited the kitchen Gaara took a graceful left to the door that signaled the end of the hallway. The door was a light mahogany color and looked heavy.

Gaara unfolded his arms, pausing his hand on the doorknob. The only other people outside of himself to see his room were Temari and Kankurou. What if Naruto didn't like his room? … For some reason this seemed to bother the Shukaku container… most likely because Naruto was an important person to him and he wished secretly that Naruto would accept everything about him.

Gaining the courage he should have had from the start, Gaara turned the doorknob and pushed open the door, stepping to the side to allow Naruto in first.

Naruto gulped slightly at the little creak before stepping into his virgin room.

Naruto felt his blue eyes soften a little at the room…

The walls weren't black. There was no blood…

There were no knives or tools of destruction…

There weren't animals mounted on walls and there weren't decaying flowers or a putrid smell…

Instead the walls were a dark ruddy color, with little splotches of gold to add texture. A few ornamental fans were placed decoratively on the walls. There was a neat and tidy, light wooden desk that sat in front of a double window where beams of light filtered in, giving the room a calming sense of life. There were bookshelves and a couch. And a fairly tall bamboo plant stood in the corner of the room, which smelled of fresh clean linen…

It was normal…

Gaara crossed his arms nervously as Naruto stopped in the doorway, his eyes shifting from side to side. Naruto wasn't saying anything, so Gaara assumed this reaction could be a good thing or a bad thing.

Unbeknownst the red head, Naruto was amazed at his room. He was a little jealous of how neat it was compared to his own home, which contained clothes strewn about the floors and sometimes rotted food on the counters.

Naruto paused however, tilting his head to the side before turning back to Gaara who had been waiting nervously for some type of response from Naruto.

"Where's your bed?"

Gaara could have immediately replied to him, but instead found the words had escaped his mouth…

Had Naruto really forgotten again about his insomnia? Well, he guessed it was a good sign since it showed that Naruto viewed him as a normal person who needs sleep.

"The couch folds out… But I don't need the bed since I can't sleep," Gaara managed to find the words and Naruto blushed again letting out a small chuckle rubbing the back of his head, suddenly aware of his mistake.

"Hehe. Oh yeah."

Naruto turned his attention back to the room and took a few more confident steps into the room, circling around it before letting his gaze rest on some glass figurines on one of the many shelves in the room. He walked over to them carefully, looking at each individual one.

They were all interesting and many of them abstract. He wouldn't have guessed Gaara to collect figurines, but he guessed everyone collects something… He collected ramen coupons.

"You collect these?" Naruto felt the question escape him, not really expecting an answer though he received one anyways.

"I make them." This really caught Naruto off guard and he turned to look at the red head who had also stepped into the room to join his friend.

"You _make _them?! But how?" Naruto was ecstatic. It had to take a lot to skill to make something as intricate as those. Though Gaara seemed un-phased by Naruto's enthusiasm about his works.

"I control sand, Naruto… If you add fire, it turns to glass," Gaara said. He was never very proud of his glass figurines since it was almost cheating that he could just think of a shape and the sand would automatically form to its ever last detail… Add a little fire and it would stay like that till forever or till it gets broken.

"Ah! That's so cool!" Naruto seemed particularly thrilled with this nevertheless. Gaara felt a little more relaxed now seeing that Naruto was showing positive signs of being shown the red head's room.

Naruto's gaze shifted to the hundreds of books that lined the remaining shelves and he winced a bit at the size of some of them.

"Do you really read all of those?" Naruto pointed at the books.

"… Not anymore… I've read them all several times." Gaara stated mildly, closing his eyes. Even though his replies were a bit nonchalant, Gaara was enjoying the attention a little bit. He never really thought about it before, but it was kind of nice having someone ask him questions about his hobbies and belongings… To him it was a sign that Naruto cared enough to ask.

Naruto shuddered a bit. Reading ninja scrolls for school was bad enough… but to have read all of those books? Naruto read a title leisurely.

_The Art of Ninja Physics._

A grimace formed on Naruto's face… Gaara must be really smart. Maybe that's why he and Shikamaru had connected a little bit more than the others had with him? Geniuses tended to conform with people of their own intellect as far as Naruto was concerned…

Though… Sakura was smart, so why did she hang out with Sasuke of all people? … He wasn't _that_ smart…

Just the thought of all that brain power the red head must have was making his own head hurt… He needed to sit down.

Naruto looked at the couch, which looked comfy enough and he walked over to it, plopping down and making himself at home on it with a sigh.

Gaara watches him cautiously as Naruto gets comfortable on the couch. Naruto was the first person other than himself to sit on that couch. His siblings had never even taken a step into his room, only having seen it through the doorway.

Naruto looked to his side at Gaara's desk and wondered what he could possibly keep in the drawers. Probably more books seeing as how there really wasn't much else in the room besides that. He turned a little and pulled open a drawer, sticking a hand into it to pull out whatever treasures he may find.

Gaara raises a hairless brow at Naruto's evident audacity and invasion of his privacy. He had said he would let Naruto _see _his room… not _ransack _it.

"I'm not naive enough to know that it's considered rude to look through another's personal belongings, Naruto," Gaara stated a little bit coldly and watched as the blonde froze in mid grab before quickly dropping whatever he had in his head and turning to smile sheepishly at his friend.

"Whoops. Sorry, Gaara. Hehe.." Naruto started to say. "I guess I got a little too comfortable."

Now was Gaara's turn to freeze and he looked at the blonde smiling up at him, eyes wide with emotion he knew he couldn't cover up.

"_I guess I got a little too comfortable."_

Comfortable…

There was a word that no one had ever used to describe their stay in Gaara's presence. Gaara indicted fear and discomfort in everyone. Even Naruto… He was not blind to Naruto's obvious discomfort in his presence. Naruto was not afraid of him, he knew that much. But he was not comfortable with him… But just now…

Naruto had said that he had been _comfortable_ around Gaara…

Naruto was special indeed.

Gaara was left unsure of what to do other than to close his eyes and turn his head away from the blonde, hiding his knitted brows that he knew would give away the feeling inside of himself that he wasn't sure had a name.

He carefully took a seat next to Naruto who watched him do so through his big blue eyes.

"You can look…" Gaara stated simply and Naruto was taken back once again by the redhead. Was he serious?

"What? Really? Are you sure?" Naruto suddenly felt excited. This was probably a part of Gaara that no one ever got to see. And he hoped that whatever he found in these drawers would spark anything that seemed to interest Gaara so they could have a proper conversation.

After a long pause Gaara nodded again and the dark ringed boy was rewarded with hoot and holler from the blonde at his side. He felt himself go rigid due to an excitement of his own. He was anxious for Naruto to see some of the thing which he kept inside those drawers and he was excited for a chance to relieve himself from some of those built up secrets and thoughts.

Naruto unceremoniously dove a hand into the drawer, pulling out a bunch of papers and proceeded to flip through them, smiling at some of the poems he had written as a child. Most of these works were from his childhood. It was then that Naruto came to a drawing that Gaara had also done as a child and he watched Naruto stop at this one.

It was a picture of a brunette and a red head holding hands.

Gaara felt his skin run a little cold at the picture he had drawn of himself and Yashamaru.

"Man, you really sucked at drawing as a kid Gaara… Is that a bear?" Naruto scrunched his face as if trying to see the picture more clearly.

…

Naruto waited patiently for a reply, but none ever came.

"Hey Gaa-," he started to say, turning towards the red head only to be met with a horrible glare. "Sorry!" The blonde stammered quickly before shoving his face back into the papers.

Gaara wasn't really angry with Naruto… In fact he was a bit happy that Naruto had said something ridiculous as that and he wondered briefly if Naruto had noticed his dislike for the picture and said that on purpose. He just wasn't sure how to express this happiness and instead settled for a routine glare.

The redhead was sure the blonde hadn't taken him seriously as he saw a little smirk behind the papers, which Naruto had begun flipping through once again.

Gaara was curious though, as Naruto continued to look through his belongings. Why was Naruto so interested in rummaging through his old stuff? Why had Naruto been interested in coming into his room at all? He had requested it after all…

"… Why are you so interested in looking at my stuff?"

Naruto looked up again at Gaara and then back down at the papers before offering up a shrug.

"'M just curious… Wanted to see if you had any hobbies I guess," Naruto muttered a bit absent-mindedly and Gaara wondered if he was really telling the truth.

Naruto read a few more poems and glimpsed through a few more pictures.

"You could just ask…" Gaara said after a few minutes, turning his head to the side. Naruto smiled at him and read the last little poem, straightening them out again, getting ready to place them back into the drawer when something at the very bottom caught his eye and he was amazed that he hadn't noticed it before.

Naruto placed the papers on the desk and Gaara watched Naruto out of the corner of his eye, not sure what the blonde has found.

However the red head was a little surprised when Naruto gently pulled out a ratty old teddy bear.

Was this Gaara's? … Sabaku no Gaara had a stuffed animal?

"What is this?" Naruto asked his friend, a little bit of disbelief in his voice. He rolled the bear over in his hands, noting the damage and stains on its fur. Though was caught him the most was the eyes. They looked so familiar… They looked like they had seen a lot and had been through a lot of pain… They looked very much like Gaara's…

Gaara looked at the bear a bit cautiously, a reminder of his child hood. He had forgotten that he had put the bear there and he reaches out to it, hesitantly… afraid that if he touched it every pain that he had felt as a child would come rushing back to him in an instant.

Naruto watched his friend's eyes, which seemed to be in a dream like state at the moment as he reached for the object in his hands. It seemed like an intense moment for the redhead and he felt unsure if he should let Gaara touch it.

"A memory that should be let go of… but not forgotten…"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow…

What could that mean?

"Oi Gaara! I was-," a female voice at the door caused both to look up and Gaara immediately dropped his hands, any emotion that had been played in his eyes had vanished as if it had never been there. He crossed his arms over his chest and Naruto looked up, the bear still clutched in his hands.

Temari cut herself off as she looked at both boys who were sitting on the couch, one of which who was holding a very familiar bear. She eyed it carefully, shifting her gaze from the bear to the holder and back to her brother.

…

Was Gaara opening up the twerp? She shook her head. Stranger things have happened… but if he was… She cast one last glance at Naruto. She could use this connection to her advantage.

"I was wondering if you and your little friend wanted to watch a movie with me and Kankurou," she waved a rectangular box in the doorway that had a picture of two men and a women on front, all with comical expressions on their faces.

Gaara shrugged. It didn't matter to him what they did that night. It was all up to Naruto.

Temari shifted her gaze to Naruto since it didn't matter to one of them if they watched it or not, the other had to decide.

"Sure. Since Gaara here didn't plan anything for us to do," Naruto said slyly, jabbing Gaara lightly in the side, who in turn glared at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

"It was impromptu…" Gaara weakly defended himself. The red head felt a little bit better about not being able to entertain his guest now since there was something to do.

Temari watched Naruto tease her brother who didn't impale him with a sand spear or crush him in a sand coffin. Oh yes, this Naruto person was indeed special somehow. He was changing her brother right before her very eyes and she longingly hoped that some day she could interact with him the same way that Naruto was doing now.

She gave them a light smile.

"We're gonna put it in, in a few minutes," and with that she turned around and left, leaving the boys to a silent closure of their time in Gaara's room.

…

The movie was a comedy about two guys and a girl who have known each other for years. The girl was trying to get their attention through the whole movie but the two of them were coming up with strange ideas to gain a fortune. The movie was pretty funny, but not greatly so. However…

Naruto had Temari and Kankurou in hysterics as he mimicked the movie using some of his more unrefined and tactless ninja techniques. Temari clutched her sides and Kankurou pointed a finger at Naruto as he cackled loudly. Gaara seemed rather disinterested and was unsure as to why his siblings were laughing. He didn't quite get the humor that Naruto was apparently expressing and frowned a bit at the flickering screen behind the blonde.

_Squuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeaaaaarraaaaaaa……_

Now this Gaara found much more amusing. Naruto paused in the middle of one of his poses. His face was scrunched up giving him a constipated look as a blush ran across his tanned cheeks. Gaara felt the side of his lip twitch in response to the obscene noise. Temari's laughter died down a bit and became a little tired sounding. Kankurou snickered a bit at Naruto's obvious embarrassment.

Temari gave the blonde a lop sided smile. For a nuisance the Konoha ninja sure did know how to make people laugh… even if it was by making fun of himself. And as much as she hated to admit it, the kid was pretty cool. Though he was not someone she thought her brother would associate with… He's pretty much everything he's not.

Naruto is obnoxiously loud and Gaara is eerily quiet.

Naruto liked to talk and Gaara liked to stare.

Naruto liked ramen and Gaara liked nothing.

Naruto had horrible ninja skills and Gaara's were near perfect.

Naruto was Gaara's complete opposite as far as she was concerned. But hey, as they say, opposites attract. Either way there was a hungry child in their home and seeing as how Gaara had seemed to be opening up to the loud mouth earlier she might as well take advantage of it.

"Come on, Naruto. I'll get you some ramen," Temari said, leaving her spot on the couch next to Kankurou who immediately turned at her leave.

"Temari! Could you bring me some popcorn!" Kankurou more so demanded than asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" the female blonde didn't seem too happy about her brother's tone but complied with it anyways.

"Ah… Thanks…" Naruto was a little surprised since Temari came off to him as a major hard ass. He had actually expected Gaara to feed him or to fend for himself that night. Nevertheless he had followed her out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Kankurou meanwhile was coming down from a high created by all the laughing he had done, blissfully unaware of anything around him. He hadn't bothered to press pause on the movie since none of them had really been watching it to begin with.

He turned his head a bit, a smile still on his face, only to see Gaara basking in the bluish glow of the screen. It made the boy seem all the more pale and the circles under his eyes much larger. He looked so calm under the light… much like a serial killer and Kankurou was suddenly brought back to Earth.

He loved his brother. He really did. But his face was really creepy when he didn't express anything on it and he turned forward again to face the screen, trying his best not to make eye contact with Gaara.

Kankurou hoped that Temari would hurry up and come back soon.

114

Temari led Naruto calmly into the kitchen of their household, automatically looking for the ramen that Naruto and Gaara had bought earlier on, which Naruto had mentioned before they had started the movie.

Naruto made himself comfortable and took a seat at the table to wait as Temari fished around in a cabinet before pulling out the bag of ramen with a grin of success. Ramen was simple enough to make so she absent-mindedly poured some water into a bowl and proceeded to heat it up. While the ramen heated she started to prepare some popcorn.

Naruto watched her idly. Gaara's sister really was a "get 'er done" kind of girl. Very down to business … Maybe that's why she annoyed Shikamaru so much? Shikamaru was by nature the laziest person on the face of the planet. So his opposite must be frustrating for him.

The blonde hadn't noticed that his meal was done and ready until Temari placed the finished ramen in front of Naruto with a set of chopsticks at the side. All thoughts about Gaara's sister disintegrated from his brain as the mouthwatering smell of instant ramen floated into his nostrils and he quickly turned to face the bowl.

"Ah ramen!" Naruto almost inhaled the entire bowl of noodles, but stopped before he dug in and turned to Temari. "Thanks!" he flashed her a trademark grin and she batted her eyes a bit in surprise. There was something about that confident smile that shocked her.

But now… as Naruto literally inhaled the bowl of ramen, she was convinced that what she saw was just a mere illusion. Instead she shook her head. She had a mission to accomplish and pulled up a seat, sitting backwards in it and looking at the blonde who patted his stomach a bit.

"Man that hit the spot!"

"Hey Naruto." She began to say.

"Hm?" Naruto turned to look at her with his big blue eyes.

"How's Gaara doing?" she bit her lip a little at the question. She felt like a terrible sister, having to rely on her brother's friends to get an idea of what was running through his head. She couldn't ask him outright herself… But maybe she could learn how to if she talked to this boy.

"You've got two eyes."

Temari smacked Naruto upside the head very quickly.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?!" Naruto yelled at her, holding his poor abused head. Seriously? What did he say to deserve that? Wasn't it obvious enough if she just _looked_ at him herself? Maybe she was about as lazy as Shikamaru.

The nerve of that boy! Temari seethed a little bit longer. He was rude and stupid. Not exactly a role model for a boy trying to interact with the world. She found herself imagining what her brother would be like in time after mingling with this pest. Gaara would be a little punk!

"Because I'm worried about him!" she explained herself however, hoping that an answer would ensure his cooperation. There was a "ding" and Temari got up to go fetch the popcorn.

"Why are you worried about him?" Naruto brought his hands down from his head, suddenly a little more interested in what she had to say.

"Because I'm his sister," Temari said as she poured the bag of steaming popcorn into the bowl, drawing her brows together in the same manner that Gaara normally did. At that moment they looked a lot like siblings… more so than Naruto had originally noticed. Temari started to make her way back to Naruto, carrying the bowl and setting it in the middle of the table before taking her seat again.

"Gaara was never good at making friends or talking to people for that matter. Because Shukaku resides inside of him everyone has feared him…" she started.

Naruto nodded as a sign that he was paying attention. Gaara was an interesting character and as much as he had gotten from Gaara's belongings about the troubled red head, he wanted to know a little bit more about him from a close outside opinion. And he was sure he was about to get some more information on this. He reached out a hand and took some popcorn and began to eat it.

"Even…," she bit her lip again. "Even Kankurou and I were afraid of him… He always looked at us with so much hatred in his eyes… We wanted to be near him, but…" she trailed off a bit and Naruto watched her as sadness crossed into her features. He understood that it was probably scary for them, knowing that their brother was unstable and had a bloodthirsty beast inside of him… but a small portion of himself felt anger towards her and Kankurou, for Gaara's sake.

Naruto knew he shouldn't be mad at them though. He was sure that they had loved Gaara regardless, but being kids, they must have been filled with fear. He just suddenly felt so much for Gaara. Life was very unfair to the red head sitting in the other room. Just as it had been for him. He took another handful of popcorn and proceeded to pop them in his mouth.

"I wanted to ask him myself… but I don't think he would've answered me… He seems to like you…" Naruto was brought out of his melancholy thoughts concerning his friend. Temari smiled a little sadly at the blonde. "How is he doing?"

Naruto swallowed another handful of popcorn.

"Heh!" Naruto flashed her another smile. "Don't worry. Gaara's really a good guy. He's a bit weird and creepy at times… but he's trying." He told her and he silently hoped that Gaara would achieve his goal some day, smile still in place.

Temari felt a lot of pressure leave her and she felt much more relieved to hear the news on her brother. Though it was short lived as another thought crossed her mind.

"Naruto?" The blonde looked up at her, wondering what else she could want. "I saw Gaara with that bear… Did he say anything about it?" Temari knew what that bear meant to Gaara. It had gone with him to many places before the incident with Yashamaru and had seen and experienced all of his pain and suffering. The bear had disappeared after the death of their uncle and she had thought that it had gotten lost. To see it in his possession after so many years…

"Hmm…" Naruto thought hard, trying to collect thoughts from his horrible memory, shoveling another handful of popcorn into his mouth. "He said something like 'It is a memory that should be let go of, but not forgotten'!" Naruto exclaimed, trying his best to imitate Gaara's voice. Temari didn't notice though.

Instead, the oldest sand sibling was trying to fight off an onslaught of tears that were working their way to her greenish blue eyes.

What did that mean? … Could it be that Gaara was trying to get over the incident? She could feel her heart pounding with undying filial love towards her youngest brother, making it a silent and impromptu goal to help him with anything if he ever requested it.

_Crunch crunch. Munch munch._

Temari looked up at the sound, rubbing an unshed tear from her eye.

Naruto was stuffing his face with the popcorn in the bowl and it took a moment for it to register that there might not be any popcorn left for her in a few minutes.

"Hey! Don't eat it all without me!" she snapped at him, half standing out of her seat, trying to steal handfuls of popcorn of her own. Kazekage be damned if she let him eat all the popcorn she had made.

Naruto watched her join in on his fun, a smirk on her face.

Temari was really a good sister for Gaara. She was hard working and looked out for Gaara, even if it was from the shadows. She seemed to genuinely care about the red head despite everyone he's killed and all the threats he has given… and she could have fun too when the time called for it.

Naruto couldn't help but wonder as he looked at her smiling face, cheeks stuffed with popcorn, that if he had a sister… would she be the same way with him?

…

Temari and Naruto came back a while later and Kankurou couldn't express his gratitude in words. Sitting in silence with his unemotional brother was not particularly exciting. He had attempted conversation once or twice, but received nothing but silence.

"What took you so long?" he said to his sister as she rounded her way back to her spot on the couch. Naruto automatically plopped down next to Gaara who remained unresponsive, chatting away about how good his ramen was.

"I made him dinner," Temari retorted, sitting cross-legged in her spot and placing the bowl between her legs, focusing her attention on the half watched movie.

Kankurou sighed and looked forward at the screen as well until he remembered the popcorn he had asked her to make for him.

"Oi, Temari. Pass the popcorn." He said, holding out his hand. Temari passed the bowl over to her brother, her eyes never leaving the screen.

Kankurou snatched the bowl from her greedily, ready to dig his hands into and eat some buttery salty popcorn when he noticed that the bowl was empty outside a few popcorn seeds. He quickly turned to his sister, pointing at the empty bowl.

"There's no more popcorn." Temari turned to look at him, a little surprised.

"Really?" She saw the empty bowl. "Woops! Must have ate it all. Tee hee hee!" she giggled out a bit, turning her attention back to the screen, none to worried about her poor brother's dilemma.

Kankurou dropped the bowl in between himself and his sister, resting an elbow on the arm of the couch and his head facing away from his sister, in his hand. So much for popcorn.

"Aw man…!"

Such was his luck.

115

"Hnn!!" Kankurou let out a groan as he stretched his arms up for the ceiling.

"Well, it's been fun," Temari said with a light yawn, covering her mouth.

"Yeah, but it's time we hit the sack," Kankurou finished for her as he got up to put the movie back in it's case. It was getting late for the early risers and the sun had already set in Suna. The time for laughs was drawing to an end and both desert siblings could feel their eyes become heavy.

However, Naruto was not so inclined to go to bed as early as his friend's brother and sister. As far as he was concerned there was no bedtime during sleepovers. Kankurou and Temari were just conforming to routine.

"Aw come on!" Naruto protested. He felt a little guilty since he really hadn't been talking with Gaara so much, but the red head didn't seem to mind. In fact Naruto could have sworn that Gaara was actually enjoying himself.

"No Naruto. _We_ need to go to bed. _You _can stay up if you want," Temari furrowed her brow at his protest, not really in the mood to argue as sleep was slowly coming over her.

Naruto frowned.

"You're just a bunch of lightweights! I betcha I could stay up much later than you," the blonde firmly stated with absolute confidence. Something in his words triggered a switch in the sand siblings and suddenly Naruto found himself face to face with two sets of fiery eyes.

"You're on!" Kankurou and Temari announced their acceptance to his challenge in sync. Naruto blinked a bit, not having expected such a passionate approval.

Temari popped in another movie and the three sat there, staring at the screen, more so concentrating on staying awake and outlasting one another…

Temari was the first to fall.

Kankurou and Naruto lasted through another movie. It was now a battle for the win, each more tired than ever before. Their eyes were drooping and they strived for dominance over their consciousness. But just as the third movie was about to end…

Kankurou fell. Naruto had won his claim.

"Hehe… I… outlasted them," he managed to say, clenching his teeth, fighting the urge to sleep. However, after the words had escaped his lips, he too fell forward onto the floor, overcome by the power of sleep.

Gaara had watched the whole ordeal like a vulture waiting for the last dying animal to fall in order to claim its prey. He didn't understand why his siblings had participated in Naruto's silly challenge. If he had been challenged to such a ridiculous feat he would have ignored it and continued with whatever he had wanted to do… considering he had never slept in his life the challenge might have seemed a bit unfair anyway. He feared he had overestimated his siblings.

After a few moments of watching the three snore Gaara stood up carefully and silently, walking out of the room and back towards his front door. He turned left and went up the wooden stairs to the second level of the house and into his siblings rooms, completely undetected and retrieved a blanket from Kankurou's room and two from Temari's… He had taken two from his sister's because he didn't trust Kankurou's hygiene enough to give Naruto one of his…

Gaara made his way back down the dark stairwell of his home. The only comforting noise was the sound of his soft bare feet hitting the wooden floors of his home. He held the warm pieces of material loosely in both of his arms, much like one would hold an offering.

When he reached the living room again, he fell into a trance like state. His eyes saw nothing and yet they saw everything. He thought nothing, but his body acted of its own accord.

First was Temari, her knees brought to her chest as she hugged a pillow tight to her body.

Then Kankurou who was lying on his back, one arm hanging off the couch and the other drawn across his chest.

And then came Naruto, sprawled out on the floor on his stomach… The same position he had fallen off the couch in.

It was here that Gaara had caught himself and he looked up at his handy work, not believing that he had done this good deed. Each being in the room donned a blanket over their feet and pulled neatly up over their shoulders. He hadn't even realized that he had done it until it was complete and now he stood there, contemplating the reasons as to why.

Never before has he bothered to cover up his siblings on the countless times they have fallen asleep on the couch. Before Yashamaru, he may have had the intentions to do something similar, but was never really given a chance nor does he remember those times very well. Perhaps he was subconsciously trying to renew these older and rather deceased intentions…

He could tell he was changing. And greatly. A little too fast for his taste and he felt mildly sickened by the deed. He was used to using his hands for killing and murder, not for kindness and nurture.

Gaara lingered a mint eye on Naruto's face. He wore a silly half asleep smile on his face, the whiskers askew, laughing quietly about something obviously funny in his dreams. Darkness settled underneath Naruto's eyes creating smaller ringlets that were much like his own. Naruto had really pushed himself to watch that last bit of movie.

A strange thought struck the red head at that moment and he found himself impulsively crouching near the blonde, his face close enough that Gaara could count his eyelashes. Ever so hesitantly he lifted a pale hand above Naruto's head, unsure of what he was doing. He didn't want to wake his friend up…

Soft fingertips lightly ghosted the feathery tips of blonde hair and Gaara sighed, closing his eyes and drawing his fingers away reluctantly from the alluring feel of his friend's hair beneath his hand.

He _was _real.

Naruto was the one for his change, he was sure of it. But a thought occurred to him… What of this wasn't real? What if it was all a horrible cruel dream that Shukaku had devised to drive him mad? …

He needed to make sure he was real. He needed to feel the proof that Naruto's friendship was not a dream. And he had.

He stared at his fingers where he had felt the little bristles of Naruto's course hair and he closed them into a fist.

Gaara had never felt this way before… He felt joyful and light towards the blonde's existence. He felt that whatever he believed could one day be possible and that with hard work, he could become the Kazekage and be accepted by his village.

And he owed it all to this drooling boy on the floor of his living room.

How could he ever repay Naruto for what he has done? For what he has made him feel?

Naruto would never really know how much his actions had affected the Shukaku container for there were no words to express this.

He had to think of something. Something that would be meaningful to the blonde…

Gaara stood up again, making his way over to the lounge chair and sitting down in it, making himself comfortable before turning to stare out the window at the restless moon of Suna.

116

"_Hn… Naruto…" Her voice was sweet and beautiful and he parted his lips._

"_You're so brave and handsome…" Yes he was and he took a step towards her._

"_I know you'll become the Hokage one day…" Of course he would and she batted her eyes at him._

"_I want to be your wife… Naruto" And Tsunade be damned he'd let her. Naruto stretched out his arms and…_

"_Sakura-chaaaan!!!" Their lips were about to collide. _

Naruto opened his eyes and it took them a minute to focus and he was startled to see that it was not a beautiful Haruno Sakura about to kiss him, but a perplexed Sabaku no Gaara standing over him. Naruto blinked once. Then twice.

Gaara gave no further indication that he was alive other than the fact that he was standing with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. Naruto's arms remained outstretched at the redhead, trying desperately to assess the situation.

"You were calling for Sakura…" Gaara finally spoke up, seeing the confusion his friend's dream state had put him in.

"Oh! Hehe…! Sorry about that!" Naruto smiled after the quick explanation and dropped his arms to his side, feeling the softness of the blanket he quickly sat up and looked at the blanket that covered him and then glancing up at his friend who had already conveniently looked away. Naruto felt a soft smile grace his face as he looked at Temari and Kankurou who had similar coverage.

A yawn overcame the blonde and he covered his mouth, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"What time is it?" Naruto asked sleepily. If it was still early he planned on going back to sleep, though he couldn't stay in bed all day since he had to catch up with Team 7 later in the morning.

Gaara glanced out the window. It was still dark, but they didn't have much time if he wanted to try and repay Naruto even in the slightest, but if they moved out soon they might be able to make it in time.

"Come with me," Gaara simply stated as he walked out of the living room and towards the front door to put on his shoes and strap on his gourd. He said it in a manner that meant that his favorite little blonde had no choice in the matter.

Naruto crawled out from underneath the blankets and peered around the corner to where Gaara had taken off. What did Gaara want him to follow for? Maybe he just wanted a midnight stroll buddy… Wandering the streets of you village at night when nobody is awake must be kind of lonely.

Deciding he had realized what his friend intended to do, Naruto felt as though he had to comply and stood up finally and moving to the front door and putting on his shoes as well.

The two left without a word to each other and traveled the roads of Suna. Naruto was left in the dark with his friend's thoughts. He was usually pretty good about telling what Gaara was feeling at the moment… but he was not telepathic. If he was, he wouldn't have to ask.

He had a hunch that Gaara had a purpose for dragging him out of bed so early in the morning. He had noticed a little while back that the red head was bringing him in a general direction towards the outskirts of the village and this had him curious. For what purpose was Gaara doing this?

When they arrived at the very edge of Suna Naruto had begun to think that Gaara was seeing him off and he wondered vaguely if he should to the dark ringed boy that he was going to leave with his Team… That is until Gaara started walking up one of the stone pathways on the tall ring of rock that surrounded Suna, acting as a barricade.

It was really early in the morning and Naruto resisted the urge to groan and protest at climbing the challenging height.

Finally, when they had reached the top Gaara stopped walking, though his arms remained folded. He glanced towards the still dark horizon beyond Suna with his light colored eyes and then back at his village. Naruto was becoming a little bit annoyed with the silence and secrecy… though he hadn't really bothered to ask.

"What are we doing here Gaara?" Naruto asks his friend, trying to sound less irritated than he really was.

But before Gaara could answer, a ray of light shone in Naruto's eyes and he instinctively shielded his vision from the blinding light. After a moment of adjusting to the sudden invasion Naruto used his hand as a shade so he could find the source.

He let out a small gasp.

The sun was rising in ribbons of shinning light. Deep reds and purples… Bright oranges and yellow… The light seemed to melt with the fine sand of the desert, creeping ever nearer towards the village of Suna.

It poured over one building followed by the next, basking the sand nation in its heavenly glow.

It was ethereal.

Naruto felt his voice catch in his throat, finding its beauty worthy of a peaceful silence. He fell backwards onto the hard, cold ground.

It was amazing and unlike any sunrise he had ever witnessed before. This sun was brighter than the rest, enveloping everything in its path.

Life.

It was like the sun was bestowing life. And the little village of Suna was caught up in its path… It was an unmistakably beautiful city like this. In the flow of the life light it looked like a city of hopes and dreams…

Naruto's eyes glistened with similar light.

"I wanted to show you," Gaara's silky voice startled Naruto from his thoughts, causing the blonde to turn his attention to him.

"… Here is where I trained to prove my existence and become accepted… It is where I discovered no matter what I did, I would always be feared…" Gaara continued his thoughts. "And it is here where I've decided I will make them accept me and become the Kazekage…"

A little light clicked in Naruto's head at the familiarity of these words and he gazed upon his friend who also basked in the glow of the life light. A light Suna breeze flapped in his red hair and he stood tall and confident in his words.

"This is my struggle, pain, and future…" Gaara's words carried a new air of strength and pride. "Suna."

For that one dream like moment, Naruto was sure with all his being that Gaara would uphold his words and it was that which kept his mouth slightly parted in awe at the new found vigor of his friend.

… But it was the underlying reason as to why Gaara had said this that made Naruto's heart warm and his face soften greatly. Gaara was a person, he realized, that he could confide and share things with that no other person would ever understand. Gaara was someone he could sit next to in silence and enjoy the peace and quiet with… Gaara was someone he could watch life with…

Gaara had given Naruto something precious in those words. Naruto was always curious about the red headed boy standing next to him, which is why he had originally pried into the boy's room. He found things in there that were interesting about the sand controller… but yet he had really found nothing _about _Gaara…

Gaara knew all about Naruto… Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut and had spilled his life story to the other demon holder, but had been left with nothing in return… He had been sure that Gaara could relate to and sympathize with him in his thoughts… but Naruto had no connection to the red head… He had nothing to relate with in return…

…

Gaara had just provided Naruto with a look at a piece of his inner soul, the one that Naruto had desired to see. The one that he had wanted to connect with and empathize with together…

Not alone.

Naruto gave the boy a mild smile, though he did not see it.

"Thanks…" Naruto said quietly, loud enough for Gaara to hear, but soft enough to be swallowed by the morning wind.

Gaara stiffened at the thanks. He was glad Naruto had understood the meaning of his words and had accepted them as a small form of repayment.

He nodded in response, never letting his eyes leave the rising sun…

And as the two boys sat on top of the walls of Suna, Gaara felt an uplifting and refreshing feeling flow through his veins… It was as if all the pain and suffering that had be engraved into his very body and soul was being peeled away… as if it had never been there… It was like being touched by an angel.

…

That morning Naruto left with Team 7.

117

Temari gave a sharp intake of air as she awoke from her deep sleep. She let her eyes drift open and gaze around the room silently for a moment, taking in her surroundings. She suddenly sat up when she realized that Naruto and Gaara were nowhere to be seen. She found however, as she sat up she was obstructed by something and looked down to see one of her blankets thrown gently over her. She looked over at Kankurou who was sleeping across from her and noticed that he had on the same.

Temari smiled, realizing that one of the boys had covered them up, though not quite sure which one had. She bet her money though it had been Naruto, but some portion of her wished that by some miracle it had been Gaara.

She stood up, stretching out her back, legs, and arms while recalling the events of last night and possible reasons for the boy's disappearance. It wasn't a big deal since they could take care of themselves, but she had planned on making them all breakfast.

With a big inhale of morning air she strode out of the room and into the hallway towards the kitchen to make some breakfast and tea for at least her and Kankurou. As she passed down the hall she stopped to gaze at their family picture.

It wasn't exactly her favorite picture in the world, but it was the only one that had her father and both of her brothers in it. It was special to her in that sense… She hoped one day though she would be able to take a picture with herself and her brothers. One where people could look at the picture and tell that Gaara was a part of their family.

She gave it a smile, giving it a second long look before doing a double take.

She looked horrified… and then…

"I'll kill him!!!" she screeched as loud as she could.

Kankurou who had been in a deep sleep sat up suddenly at the sound of his sister's scream and immediately ran into the hall, spotting her and rushing over, fearing the worst.

"What? What happened?!" he demanded as he looked at his seething sister. She turned to him, bearing her teeth and pointing at the picture.

"Look what Naruto did to the picture!!" she yelled and Kankurou winced at the loudness of her voice. He however complied and looked at the picture. It took him a minute to realize what was wrong. Eyes widening for a second and he looked back at his sister.

"I think it looks better that way…" Kankurou stated. It really did in his opinion…

"It does, but that's not the point! He ruined the picture!" Temari insisted. Kankurou frowned at his sister's persistence in the matter. "What am I going to do about the hole in the picture?"

He thought about it for a second.

"You could put in Baki's picture," he suggested.

"I am _not _putting Baki's picture in there!" she damn near bit his head off. It was only a suggestion too…

Gaara walked in through the door at that moment only to hear the yelling of Temari and Kankurou trying to save his innocent hide. They hadn't even noticed arrival and he quickly took of his shoes and set aside his gourd and walked over to see what they were fighting about.

He heard the word picture and looked towards their family "portrait" where he was met with a pleasant surprise.

…

If Gaara had the willpower or the knowledge of how to smile, he knew it would be plastered all over his face right now.

He had noticed the blonde looking at it disdainfully the other day, but hadn't known why… Now he knew.

In place of Gaara's place in the photo was a hole where it had been cut out and been given a new home in between Temari and Kankurou… and in front of their father.

When had the blonde the time to do that? His skills were improving greatly.

Gaara again felt indebted to the blonde for making such a tasteless picture, much easier for him to look at. He walked over to it and brought a hand up to it unbeknownst to his bickering siblings, lightly grazing his fingers over the people in the picture and he felt somewhat… _free_.

Naruto was truly a gift in his own.

000

Next Chapter: Lake

A/N: OMG… lol It's a good thing you guys like long chapters. Sorry this took forever to write, but I have a feeling it's going to be like that until this is completed. On a good note (I think), I've changed how I want this to end and extended it about 8 more chapters than what I planned. So hopefully you like that lol (We're looking at about 21 chapters) Anyways, again, please pardon my grammar and spelling. I wrote the majority of this at 4 AM and on about four hours of sleep and I'm too lazy to reread and edit lol Please R&R!! I really look forward to your reviews and they're the only reason I keep writing these ridiculous chapters! (I even talk to my friends about your reviews : ) They know they make me happy lol )


	6. Lake

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Hey: ) As always thanks for the reviews. I really can't express how much I appreciate them and I'm glad you liked the last chapter as well. In my spare time I will be trying to work on this and I am also working on turning this into a doujin… I'm working on planning it out w/ panels and stick figures first though because I really want to do a good job with it and try and get across the feeling. I'll let you know if it ever gets done. (More so a dream of mine XD) And about the time period.

I can't really say much about where they are yet in time wise… It's like after they get Tsunade… but before Itachi and Kisame come around. I hope this chapter helps a little bit of your understanding!! Sorry I didn't do this sooner.

And yet another thing, I am going through a hectic time right now because I think I mentioned before, I live on the east coast and am moving to the west coast… alllll alone for a school that doesn't have dorms. ;.; And my mom is making me do all the arrangements myself so she knows I can survive out there alone. So if it doesn't get done, I don't go. It's a good idea on her part, but I wish I had a _little_ guidance lol So updates will be very slow (as if they weren't slow enough). Anyways, please enjoy as always: )

000

Gaara sat in his room on his pull out couch, arms crossed and back rigid as he resisted the urge to sigh. He turned his gaze from the emptiness and quietness of his room to the window from which light poured through.

How long had it been? A month at least… though the nights and days seemed to conjoin and flow together one by one when you were an insomniac.

Either way, it had been far too long since his last encounter with the rambling ninja from Konoha. The boy had struck up some rather interesting and curious thoughts that Gaara had never experienced before as far as he could remember. Gaara recalled missing the blonde's idle chatter and company the last time he had been separated from Naruto for a long period of time… but he hadn't felt the urge to seek him out.

The redhead was so used to only having the company of only himself and now on more recent occasions his siblings. The sudden need to find someone for company struck him as odd for his character and he had a guess it had to do with the cleansing feeling Naruto had left him with the last time he had seen the blonde.

"What are we doing here Gaara?" Naruto had asked him. Gaara had noticed the irritation in his voice from all the morning secrecy, but thought nothing of it. Instead, Gaara was more focused on his nerves.

_As he sat in his living room earlier that evening, he had tried to think of the most meaningful gift of appreciation he could give to Naruto. The night held no answers for him and he had found himself drifting off into thoughts about earlier that day. About how Naruto had expressed interest in the redhead's life… and from there the clockwork began to spin._

_So here he was, standing on the great stonewall surrounding Suna, not sure if he was ready to go through with his plan. His nerves made him debate his actions… For one, he was about to express a part of his being that he didn't fully understand himself to someone that he has met fewer times than he has fingers… and on a more serious note, he hoped Naruto would appreciate his gesture._

_He watched the irritation release from his friend's eyes as the sunlight hit them and he shielded them in response. When Naruto's eyes finally focused, Gaara was pleased to note the sparkle in his blue depths. A part of him felt more relaxed as he recognized Naruto's awe and he himself turned to watch the sunrise. _

_There was something about it that day. Gaara had witnessed many of these from various points in Suna, including the one, which they were standing on currently. But… no sunrise he had ever seen looked as beautiful as the one they were witnessing now. _

_The colors were more vibrant than ever and it appeared before them as a blessing. _

_Maybe the sky had been more clear that day or maybe it was just luck to happen upon the most stunning sunrise… Or perhaps it was even just that he had been sharing this beauty with someone else this time around… but whatever the cause may be, the light had given him courage to say what needed to be said and Gaara felt his lips part suddenly. _

"I wanted to show you," he started, no longer fearing what the blonde would think of his words. He was stronger now… and he felt his emotions rise to the point where he could do nothing but let them flow out of his mouth in words.

"… Here is where I trained to prove my existence and become accepted… It is where I discovered no matter what I did, I would always be feared… And it is here where I've decided I will make them accept me and become the Kazekage…"

_It felt as though the voice and lips that spoke these words were not his own, however, he could feel them in his core. _

_A light breeze floated by them, giving that last nudge of encouragement he needed to tell Naruto what he had endured, felt, and wanted to do. He stood tall and firm with a new sudden feeling of pride and reason for existence. _

"_This is my struggle, pain, and future…Suna." _

…

_Yes. _

_Yes, this is why he would exist.. Suna… He would become Suna's Kazekage and he would be accepted by all… He would be by Naruto's side until they grew old and ceased to exist… _

_In that moment he had found his new meaning for existing in this world and it had felt good. He felt inspired._

"_Thanks," Naruto had said. Gaara had been so wound up in his thoughts about his new discovery he had almost forgotten the blonde at his side. He felt himself go stiff at the word the blonde had uttered to him. _

_It had meant more than a normal "thank you," because it had indicated to Gaara that Naruto understood why he had been brought there. That he understood the meaning of Gaara's words and had accepted them. Embraced them… It was a new feeling for Gaara and he wasn't sure what to think of it._

_But this stiffness he had felt was washed away by the sun's warm rays hovering over his skin. He could feel his eyes soften and his subconscious mingled with the boy sitting on the ground next to him. _

_There was silence beyond the light breeze that drifted above Suna and stroked their hair and faces. _

_Gaara noticed the sudden shift of his being at that moment and he was sure he was going to falter in his stance for fear of floating up into the sky. He felt so _light. _He felt like he would just drift away. This was different. _

_It felt like all the pain and suffering he had ever felt was suddenly extracted from his body and he tried desperately to grasp at it, having only known this pain his whole life; he felt an initial fear without it… But it wasn't there. He couldn't find it anywhere in his being at that instant._

… _And frankly… right now…_

_He gazed at the blonde beside him with nothing more than a flicker of his green eyes._

_He couldn't care less... _

But as he had been left to his thoughts for longer than the average person, he had begun to wonder about this lightness the blonde had made him feel. It made him not care. It made him not care what everyone thought about him as long as Naruto was with him and it scared him that he thought in such a way. No time in his life had he ever relied on a person in this manner. He had tried once before and had been given a slap in the face, causing him to realize that he was a monster in the world that no one would ever accept.

But Naruto…

He closed his eyes and leaned backwards a bit, resting his head on the back of his couch. He tilted his head to the side and gave a small inhalation into the fabric… The scent had been long gone, but he kept sniffing every so often in hopes that the scent of the blonde would some how return to his couch.

He had been pleasantly surprised when he had come home that morning after seeing his friend off and discovering the modification to his family portrait, to a delightful scent on his couch. It was like dried fall leaves and crisp cool air with the ever present hint of ramen. It was Naruto's scent.

Gaara remembered leaning carelessly into the smell and sprawling himself onto the couch uncharacteristically inhaling the scent… trying to grasp at it. He had laid there the whole day in Naruto's scent, thinking about Naruto's deed and this lightness he had felt earlier.

He wasn't sure what it was, but he wanted more of it… It was like a potent drug… He had only a taste of it and was becoming addicted to it. Naruto made him feel pleasantly intoxicated.

But what was this feeling that Naruto had given him? What was the name so that he could ask for more? … How did one describe this feeling? …

Well… to put it simply… he had felt cured. Cured from his heart.

And then it struck him.

He opened his eyes abruptly at the thought.

Had Naruto given Gaara what he had longed for all his childhood life? … Had he finally received…

He felt one of his hands drift up to the red-scarred tissue at his forehead, carefully grazing the slightly raised skin.

Had this been giving willingly? … Did Naruto…

Another unnamed emotion coiled up in his stomach and fluttered its way to his center. He felt the urge to squish it, but it tickled him pleasingly for reasons unknown and thus he let it.

This realization had happened so suddenly on the red head that he hadn't recognized the time had flown into the night. He stood up from his couch, realizing what he must do. It would be several days before his answer could be given and he wasn't sure he could hold out any longer than that.

He suddenly felt excited and anxious. Jittery. Much similar to when he would watch a bloody battle and the scent of death would cause his inner demon to stir. Though it was slightly different now… He couldn't put a finger on it however.

He moved slowly and cautiously through the bottom floor of his house. Temari and Kankurou were no doubt upstairs sleeping in their beds. Now would be a good time to make a move.

As much as he has gotten used to making small talks with his siblings, it was not something he sought out to do. He had tried a few times to start conversation and become frustrated, deeming it as not an interest. He preferred to sit in the company of his siblings and either nod or listen to their silly chatter if he was forced to be sociable. The two had become more daring around him, becoming more relaxed and Gaara had second thoughts of whether or not this was a good thing.

On one hand, he did enjoy brief breaks from his solitude… and on the other hand, it was much more difficult to do what he wanted and when he wanted because the two would raise their voices. Not that their voices scared him or anything. He could easily enough crush their bodies with his sand… but it was more the fact that they developed this new found theory that Gaara _wouldn't_ harm them in any way anymore. Where they had caught this from he was unsure…

Would he harm them ever? … He wasn't sure about that either and this also frustrated him… He was beginning to tolerate his siblings as family and as much as he hated to admit it, he was realizing he was beginning to _care_ for the two asleep upstairs.

He had to agree with the lazy eye from Konoha… This was indeed troublesome…

Konoha…

Gaara walked into the kitchen to find a piece of paper and a writing utensil of some sort. He didn't want to wait until morning to explain to his siblings of his sudden departure, so writing a note would cause less worry to the two troublesome family members.

He quickly scribbled a note to Temari of his whereabouts and nothing more. Satisfied with the un-informational note, he left it on the kitchen table where he was sure one of the two would find it when they woke up.

With that he made his way to the front door, slipping on his shoes and fastening his gourd with ease to his back.

And so he left.

111

"Naruto…" Sasuke said in his raspy voice. His black eyes stared at the blonde who stood in the darkness in disbelief.

"_Sasuke…" was all Naruto could utter as his best friend smirked fiendishly at him. _

"_I _will _kill Itachi…" Sasuke suddenly frowned and Naruto feared what would be coming next. "… I need to become stronger. I need to become stronger than you!" Naruto couldn't believe what Sasuke was saying. Who was Itachi? … _

_Sure Naruto had gotten stronger since the time they had first formed Team 7… And he even considered himself as strong as Sasuke. Though he may boast that he is stronger at times… he really only considered Sasuke and himself as equals… Why was he saying this?_

"_Goodbye, Naruto." And with that Sasuke turned, casting one last glance at the blonde who watched helpless and speechless as the dark haired Uchiha walked away. What could he do? _

_There was an evil ambiance in the air and a deathly familiar chuckle filled the abyss in which Naruto stood. It was a voice that would haunt his mind for eternity… Those cruel eyes…_

_Orochimaru._

_The chuckle grew louder and a thought occurred to the blonde absent-mindedly watching his friend walk away. Was Orochimaru here? … Was he after Sasuke?…!_

"_Sasuke!" Naruto called out to him suddenly running forward, an arm extended in hopes that he might get to his unresponsive friend in time. _

"_Sasuke!!" His cries became more desperate as the gap between him and his best friend seemed to get to no smaller, nor larger. It was like he was running without moving anywhere… Why couldn't Sasuke hear him?_

_The chuckle was almost so loud it was in his head._

_And suddenly a giant snake came out from his right side, snapping open its wide jaws, ready to envelope Naruto who was running straight into its mouth. _

"_Sssasssuke!" he heard the Sannin's voice hiss out of the reptile as if to mock his own calls._

"Aaaahh!!!" Naruto yelled as he was suddenly swallowed by the darkness of the snake's mouth.

Naruto sat up suddenly, heaving as though he had just finished a training session. His eyes were wide and already in focus as he took in his surroundings. He felt a hand go to his chest and clench the fabric of his shirt as he took a gulp, wetting his dry mouth with saliva and attempting to calm down his rapid breathing.

It was a dream.

Just a dream…

Naruto closed his eyes and put a hand to his face in relief…

_Sasuke…_ Naruto scrunched his face at the thought the dream had given him… God he hated nightmares like that… They managed to frighten him like that, yet they were silly enough… Sasuke would never leave them…

He felt much better with that thought and he leaned back on his hands, looking out his window to see if daylight had broken the sky yet. But alas it was still dark, meaning Naruto still had a while before he had to get up and he sighed.

"I was wondering when you would wake." The voice startled Naruto and he turned to find the owner of the voice, prepared to fight if necessary.

However when he caught sight of the red hair and bright green eyes, he felt confused.

"G-Gaara?!" When had Gaara arrived in Konoha? … _Why_ was he in Konoha?

Really… he shouldn't even be surprised anymore… The boy showed up at the most unexpected times in Naruto's life. The Chuunin exams… His bedroom window… Suna… His bedroom corner… Never once had he expected to _see_ the red head. It was all by coincidence or the red head seeking him out in the middle of the night when normal people slept.

After just having woken up, Naruto was not in a thinking mode and thus his brain was in a swirl of absolute nonsense.

Gaara had taken the mention of his name as an acknowledgement to continue. He took a step forward from the shadows of the room he had been standing in to continue his conversation.

"You were tossing and turning and calling out for the Uchiha…" Gaara frowned. He assumed it had been what was called a nightmare. He wasn't sure what the experience was like since he had never had a dream before. But judging from the anguish Naruto had expressed on his face it was not a pleasant one and it gave him second thoughts about sleep.

Though, as he watched Naruto's pained face in the moonlight, he felt yet another emotion the blonde had stirred in him. He felt pain and he wondered if he had been jumping to conclusions too quickly before coming here. If Naruto had given him what he thought he had, then he wouldn't be feeling this pain in his chest. He had wanted to tear it out of his skin feeling wrongly betrayed and had almost left until he realized why he had felt so hurt.

He was hurting because Naruto was hurting. Gaara had realized that he didn't like seeing that pained expression on his savior's face. And it bothered him to the point of being painful. He wanted to take away Naruto's pain to cease his own agony as well. Why was this?

So much was appearing so quickly in his life and there were so many questions that needed to be asked and so many answers to be found. He hated emotions for this very reason. His brain did not tolerate these confusing and conflicting chemical reactions very well because of his inability to understand them or deal with them. Being sleep deprived did nothing to aid this situation.

Gaara watched Naruto frown at the memory of the nightmare he had just been experiencing. But the frown was quickly replaced with a sheepish smile as the blonde shoved it away and turned to face his friend.

"Yeah, sorry you had to see that…" Gaara wasn't sure what Naruto was sorry for. It's not like it bothered Gaara any… other than the horrible searing pain in his chest that it caused him, but that was beside the point.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto tried to make conversation to answer some of the obvious questions. Was he here on a mission or was he here just simply to visit? … He bet the former than the latter, but then again, with the way Gaara had been making social progress he wouldn't doubt that the latter could happen.

Then a thought occurred to the blonde. How _did _Gaara get in his apartment? He was sure he locked the door and the window was shut and locked from the inside… Then again, Gaara was a ninja and could easily get into high security places so breaking into an apartment wouldn't be that difficult…

… Which brought up the disturbing thought that Naruto was in a village made up nearly entirely of ninja who could easily break into his little apartment at night and he would never know… That was not a comforting feeling and he inwardly grimaced at the thought.

Gaara meanwhile was busy trying to figure out how to put his dilemma into words that would entail why he was there and hopefully answer all of Naruto's questions first.

"I wasn't sure who to ask…" Gaara said, his face as unemotional as ever. Naruto watched Gaara through his blue eyes before he sighed and put a hand to his face. Gaara watched his actions with interest.

If there was one thing Gaara was superb at doing it was leaving pertinent information out of his answers. Naruto and Gaara may be similar, but again, the blonde was definitely not a mind reader. If he was he would already have Sakura as his girlfriend by now…

"About…?" Naruto tried to encourage his friend to say more. The blonde wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with his friend right now having just woken up from a nightmare to his unprecedented visitor. Gaara looked off to the side a bit as if he were contemplating on actually going through with his plan… or maybe he was just choosing his words. In any case, Naruto tried to wait as patiently as he could for his friend.

However, seeing the red head slightly distressed by all of this Naruto decided to try and make him a little more comfortable and a little more informal seeing as how he was standing straight up with his arms crossed around his chest as normal. In all truth, Gaara's stance was making _him_ nervous.

"You're making me nervous! Sit down!" Naruto said, catching the green-eyed boy's attention. He shifted his legs into a cross-legged position creating more room on the bed and patted the newly vacant spot at the edge of the bed, completely forgetting that it was odd his friend was even there. Gaara raised a non-existent brow at Naruto before getting the idea and taking a seat at the edge of the bed before trying to come up with the words he needed.

After a few moments, Gaara looked over at Naruto with an expression the blonde had only seen once on the red head. Right after the two had fallen to the ground during their battle… as Naruto crawled over to him it was there only for a flicker of a second and Naruto wasn't sure if he had seen properly.

His brows were slightly upturned, giving him the look of a sad young boy… but as quickly as it was there it was gone again, leaving Naruto with a sense of déjà vu and mystery.

"What is love?"

Naruto was completely taken off guard and he fumbled to grasp what the red head had just asked him. He felt himself stutter for words dumbfounded though his friend didn't seem to notice. He had expected Gaara to say a lot of things… but this was definitely not one of them.

Instead, Gaara ignored his friend's attempt at speech and stared into his open hands as if they held the meaning of life in a cryptic code that he had to interpret.

"Someone once told me love was the cure for wounds of the heart…" Gaara continued and Naruto stopped his attempt at speech to listen, a serious expression suddenly gracing his face as his friend spoke to his hands. "… He said it would make it stop hurting here," Gaara paused to bring one of his hands to his chest and he rested it there. He donned a far off look as if he were remembering something and Naruto watched Gaara with calm eyes.

Naruto recognized the confusion in his eyes. It was nearly identical to the same confusion he held in his own when he was much younger. He always wondered why the village hated him and gave him those looks of scorn. That confusion disappeared however with age and the gain of many important people in his life.

For Gaara, the confusion must have never disappeared and seemed to be centered around the topic of love. Probably because no one ever got close to him enough when he was younger. Gaara had to endure what Naruto had gone through much longer than the blonde and was thus what he is today… A lost soul seeking to find a place in the stream of life. But Naruto had hope for him, if only he was guided in the right direction and Naruto was just the guy to do it too.

At some point anyways… as much as it was nice to see his friend and help him out, he really didn't want to do it at…

Naruto spared a glance at his clock.

2 a.m.

Suddenly Gaara's hand clenched tightly and his voice became a little quieter and more deadly as the spoke his next words.

"But he was a liar." Naruto felt the hatred and betrayal in Gaara's voice. He didn't need to know anymore about this person who told Gaara about love to understand that he was not a welcome person in Gaara's life anymore. The red head was being more open with Naruto he noticed and he liked the little bit of information he gained on Gaara's life, though it was a bit depressing… He could only imagine what Gaara must have been like once this betrayal had occurred.

Naruto felt a little bad because he really wasn't concentrating on this important conversation as much as he should have been. The nightmare had really taken a lot out of him again and he was beginning to fall asleep. He almost wished Gaara would notice his tired look and continue this conversation in the morning.

"So I come to you now… Were his words right? …" Gaara questioned as he chanced a look at Naruto who had been watching Gaara with extreme interest throughout his monologue. "… Can love take away the pain? …"

Naruto looked at his friend who was still staring at his palm and the blonde suddenly found it very ironic that the one word Gaara didn't understand was the one that was tattooed onto his forehead.

This word must have caused so much confusion for the poor boy as it does everyone.

Love.

It was a tricky and troublesome thing that caused people head aches just thinking about the topic.

It was an amazing feeling to be in love and it was even better to be loved.

You can give and or receive.

Love and or be loved.

But along with love comes dislike and hatred which all cause horrible sensations. They can be painful and if you're horribly unlucky like his red headed friend, you might never have experienced love… So the word and its feelings brought to someone like Gaara might be overwhelming and confusing.

…

And then love could not exist without hatred because there would be nothing to compare it to. He swore that there could be a book written about just love alone.

He felt he owed the red head some sort of answer though. He couldn't leave Gaara with any reply. Not with the lost way the red head had asked the question.

"Hmm… Well, love is… a good feeling… You can love somebody and you can be loved," Naruto was struggling with the words to use with his friend as a light blush formed across his striped cheeks, placing a finger to the side of his face and scratching it idly. This was hard and slightly embarrassing topic to be discussing… He never really discussed things like this with any guys before… Normally they only talk about ninja techniques, missions, and the like…

He wondered if this was what it would be like to give someone "the talk." Terribly, terribly awkward.

Naruto had to put himself in the positions in order to come up with his explanation. It was when he came to being loved that he realized the other man was right. Naruto had experienced love from many of his friends and teachers. Like Iruka.

Iruka had been the first to help take away his pain by loving him as a student and friend and possibly even as a son. Naruto remembered a time where he thought that as long as he had Iruka he could be happy… and as he gained more and more people to his little family, he felt he was loved and that he could stay that way forever. It really did help cure the darkness in his heart.

"When you're loved… it's like nothing else in the world matters. As long as you have that then you feel everything will be all right. So yeah, I guess he was right," Naruto said, seriously trying to contemplate and answer his friends' query. "Love does take away the pain."

Gaara closed his eyes. So Yashamaru hadn't lied to him about everything…

Or was Naruto also a liar? … Gaara had been proven to in the past that no one could be trusted; especially if they said they cared. Perhaps Naruto was also lying and leading Gaara down a trail of false hope. What basis did he have to believe in the blonde?

He had none. He had nothing, but that smile and the comfort that Naruto knew what it was like in some way to be hurt like Gaara had been. To feel as he had.

He would have to trust that if he wanted to accomplish anything in life. He had decided he would try and fit into society once more and although this may have been influenced by the blonde, it was Gaara's own choice. No one was making him do this and he would carry it out.

He just had to trust in him… He had to try again. Besides… the future Kazekage couldn't be afraid of taking a few risks.

So if this was true… If Naruto's word was reliable, then this answered his theory. According to this definition, Naruto had given Gaara love… Love…

It was such a foreign and all to frighteningly familiar word. If Gaara had feared anything in the world, he would have to say it was this one word. It sent chills down his spine thinking about it and yet it more recently also sent this comforting warmth towards his midsection, causing violent shivers throughout his body.

He refused to let the word impact him just yet as his dilemma did not end here because the more important question was, was this love intentional? Or had Gaara misinterpreted it as such…

Part of him wanted to ask the question and have Naruto reject him. If Naruto were to say he loved Gaara intentionally… he wasn't sure what he'd do… The word love as it was caused some deep feelings of inner turmoil to brew…

And another part of him would like the blonde to say that he did love him. For Gaara to realize that he could be loved gave him a sense of hope that his soul could be salvaged and his newfound reason for existing would be even more realistic.

"Then… Do you love me Naruto?" The question was as innocent as ever and the silence did not cease as the tension in the room rose. Gaara did not look up at his friend's flustered face, but he could very well feel the embarrassment and confused aura the blonde was emitting. He wasn't sure how the question produced a reaction as such, but he somehow felt he owed an explanation…

Naruto was sure his face was on fire and the bit of tiredness he had been feeling was completely destroyed by the adrenaline now pumping through his veins. Oh the bluntness of his friend was truly amazing. There really was no hesitation and Naruto was sure that was part of the reason he was so shocked. It was highly unexpected, but most of all… How do you respond to a question like that? Did Gaara even know what he was talking about?

"When I'm with you," Gaara wasn't sure why, but he felt embarrassed saying these thoughts to the blonde. "The pain inside of me disappears… And from that definition of love, it seems you have given it to me…" Gaara looked over at his friend and asked him again. "Do you love me?"

Naruto couldn't relinquish the redness from his cheeks though he felt a little better having an idea now of what Gaara was talking about… It was actually a little bit funny if he thought about it... having misinterpreted the statement. He should have known that Gaara wouldn't know the difference between saying "like" and "love."

He was sure he knew what Gaara felt… It was the kind of love that he felt for all of his friends and for people like Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. It was the love of family and friendship. When he was with them, his pain went away. Gaara had said he experienced a similar feeling with Naruto. So in a way, he _did _love Gaara from the definition he had approved of… It only made sense.

Gaara was also now one of his important people that he cares for. So he _did _give Gaara the same kind of love that he gave to Sasuke… Even so, it was a little awkward to think of it as "love."

"… Well… I guess I do love you…" he said, staring up at the ceiling and avoiding eye contact with the red head. After regaining his composure from the previous statement, he gave Gaara a sheepish smile, "… but that's not exactly what we call it when it's with friends," Naruto tried to explain the concept of using the words "love" and "like." The poor blonde had hoped that by explaining to Gaara the difference that the nauseas feeling in his stomach would go away and his conscience would be cleared, but Gaara had stopped listening after Naruto had said he loved him.

Gaara felt like someone had switched on a light in his head and given him a set of earplugs to muffle out the blonde's musings.

Gaara was… loved? He felt his insides constrict heavily at the thought. To have his existence be necessary for someone other than himself… It was a big deal for the red head who had been shown all his life that he could not and would not be loved… that he had to love and exist only for himself.

But here was this blonde who had forcefully been inserted into his life pattern and had taught him and told him otherwise. It was a feeling and a thought Gaara wanted to savor. It felt _good_.

It was like Gaara had been given a taste of heaven and it made him want more. Was this what love was like?

Was this what it was like to be loved by someone?

To realize that this is what Gaara had been striving to have ever since he was little… It was more than he had thought it would be. Much more.

To accept that he had achieved this after so much pain for so long was even more mind-boggling…

The ordeal in general was… overwhelming.

Naruto on the other hand watched his friend's eyes widen slightly and he hoped he was getting through to the red head who sat on his bed. He was sure that Gaara really didn't take it as Naruto was "in love" with him… but just using the word generally insinuated such. Saying he loved a guy was just… wrong. It was weird. Even if he meant it as friendship, it just felt strange on his lips and the testosterone in his body wouldn't allow it. Not that he had anything against homosexuality…

Though Gaara… Gaara didn't seem the type to understand such social boundaries and he feared what the red head might do to civilization if such boundaries were not understood.

Gaara was struck with a sudden thought, one of many he had had over the past few days. If Naruto loved him, did he love Naruto? Naruto had said you could give and receive love… and he had received it, but could a monster like himself be capable of loving another?

He had done nothing but kill and spit hurtful things from his mouth to people. It was habit and a nature that he has developed over the past six years of his life and it would be hard to get rid of… So was loving someone even within his capabilities?

He didn't particularly care if he loved anyone. He spent so much time hating them that love might make him sick now, but…

… When Naruto had been turning earlier in bed, seemingly in pain, he had wanted to take away his pain… and if taking pain away was what love did… then did that mean he loved Naruto as well? … It was a logical conclusion… That Gaara… loved… Naruto…

Gaara turned his head suddenly to look at his friend; a hint of determination and an overwhelming look of sudden realization in his eye.

"I love you Naruto," he all but took Naruto's sanity, having the sudden urge to tell him this. Though his voice was not loud it carried panic and to the red head it might as well have been. He had felt a dire need to tell Naruto this as quickly as possible for fear that he might never have another chance.

And as he felt those words roll of his tongue, he felt them get stuck. It was strange to say them. Strange that he could even form them. And stranger yet that he could feel them.

Naruto couldn't help himself. This conversation was beyond weird and uncomfortable, and yet it some how was beyond hysterical as well. He remained absolutely positive that Gaara did not mean _that_ kind of love… but even so. Hearing the words from the red head's mouth did not deter the awkwardness rising within him.

Naruto clenched his teeth and gulped.

"Gaara…" The red head looked at his friend's expression and suddenly felt as though he did something wrong. Naruto didn't look too comfortable with this declaration of his. Was Naruto not satisfied with his love?

Naruto had been trying to hold it, scrunching his face in discomfort to suppress it but, but he could no longer keep it in and started to laugh and Gaara felt himself frown. Why? Why was he always laughed at when he was being serious? It was horribly frustrating…

As awkward as this was, it was just too funny and Naruto found himself wiping tears from his eyes. Gaara really had no idea what he was saying… As much as he was sure the red head was smart, he was equivalent to a child in the field of emotions. It gave the former killer a sense of naïveté to him, which was slightly odd and also somewhat fitting.

"You're so weird!" Naruto told Gaara, wiping a tear wearily from his eye and Gaara continued to frown at Naruto. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

Of course he knew what he was saying. He loved Naruto. He had too. Was there something wrong with that?

He narrowed his eyes and reassured Naruto that he was positive he knew what he was talking about and from which Naruto concluded he was highly uninformed. Even though Naruto grew up on his own just like Gaara had, he had discovered such emotions on his own… But Gaara was not allowed to feel such a way before and it is now very late in the game…

Naruto sighed. He was sure this was going to be a _long_ conversation…

"There's more than one kind of love," Naruto stated simply. He was getting tired and was not really interested in teaching the disgustingly broad topic of love with his deprived friend. Instead he wanted to curl up and go back to sleep. Gaara felt an absolute mind shock.

"More than one?" How could there possibly be more than one kind of love? Wasn't love just… love? He did not like where this was headed. This is why he stayed clear of things like this… It was all so horribly complicated and none of it made sense. He frowned at the blonde.

"Well… there's the kind of love you feel for your family. I'm pretty sure Temari and Kankurou love you as their brother. I've never had family, but I hear you feel really strong towards them," Naruto said and paused, watching as Gaara seemed to contemplate it.

Gaara was sure that this was not the kind of love he felt. He did not feel confused on why he let Naruto continue to exist as he does with his siblings, though he did share similar thoughts with occasionally day dreaming about strangling both Naruto and his own kin. But he did feel strongly towards Naruto…

"Then there's the kind of love you feel for another person who can be your friend… but it feels so much greater! Like you could pop open like a balloon!" Naruto suddenly got excited about this type of love, using hand motions to exemplify the big bang of the balloon. "It's the kind of love people who get married and date each other feel. Kind of like I feel towards Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, his fox appearance back on his face. He seemed more interested in talking about this love, which slightly repulsed Gaara.

The idea of marriage and dating never sat well with the red head and he despised it when people went around chatting about the new "hot" guy in class and what not. There were more important things to deal with… like missions. Though he has caught himself a few times daydreaming about what it would be like to be that close to someone.

Marriage meant spending your entire life with someone. They would know everything about you and you about them. It's an ultimate form of trust and supposedly love, something he was not too keen on. Gaara was never sure he could allow himself to give everything he had and let someone see everything he was…

He feared rejection.

Rejection was a painful thing. He had felt it that time with Yashamaru… Though his uncle hadn't seen everything about him like someone in marriage would, it still hurt. It hurt to the point of breaking his sanity. He had been rejected by society. He had been rejected by family.

If he were to be rejected by someone that close to him… it would surely kill him.

Dating was the preliminary for marriage. The trial to see if the two involved were compatible enough to not face rejection from one another. So dating was also looked down upon by the red head.

"And then there's the kind that you feel for your friends. Which is the kind I feel for you and I'm sure is what you feel for me," Naruto continued his impromptu explanations of love, not really interested in this one.

"Tell me more about that one," Gaara interrupted Naruto before he could continue. Naruto had said he felt this way for Gaara… he wished to further understand what kind of love Naruto had given him. It did not really matter, he would cherish this love always, but it for some reason made him anxious to know.

However, Naruto had other plans.

Naruto looked at Gaara, a little frazzled and a tired frown plastered on his face.

"Naaah, I'm tired Gaara…" Naruto said, a small yawn working its way into his speech. It was amazing that Naruto could actually see what he was doing with his fox slit eyes still.

Gaara did not want to give up though. Not when he was so close to finding answers. He had endured three days and two nights of agonizing wait.

"Tell me," he insisted, leaning a bit closer to the blonde, his brows knitted together.

"I'll tell you later!" Naruto said and laid down, pulling the blankets over his head, trying to hide from his midnight invader. It was fine for the first couple of minutes, but Naruto wasn't going to spend his whole night unexpectedly discussing the theories of love. Too much brain work… not enough sleep.

Gaara glared at the sheets as though it would make Naruto sit up. Naruto had nerves of steel to yell back and not obey Sabaku no Gaara. It took guts like that to be Hokage though…

"Just trust me… it's what you feel." Naruto however decided to fork up that last bit of information before Gaara could see the steady fall and rise of his chest. It was not a lot, but it would have to do for now.

Gaara sat up straight and turned his head to the ceiling.

Love for a friend…

It would make sense since Naruto was indeed Gaara's friend… His first friend in fact.

But…

Gaara remembered back to the way he had nuzzled his face into his couch in order to smell the blonde…

The way he had felt standing next to him watching the sunrise…

Was friendship love really all that powerful? … And if so….

What would it be like … if he ever could… to _really_ love someone…?

112

Naruto felt the suns pestering rays hit his eyes and begged them to open. He felt a weary hand drag up to his face, blocking out the intrusion as he cracked them open a bit, his blue eyes glazed over at first.

The first thing he felt was his brain pounding against his skull and his hand went immediately to his head, trying to futilely suppress it. It would pass with food and after the process of waking up was complete.

He thrust himself up into a sitting position, sleepily rubbing an eye before settling into a comfortable state on his bed and staring at his blankets absent-mindedly. He felt like he had done something important last night, but couldn't quite put his finger on it…

He looked over to his side, scanning his room. Everything looked normal…

Then his eyes settled on something out of place. A gigantic gourd made of sand placed gently by his door.

Well that wasn't his, but he had a mighty fine guess as to whose it could be. Seems his friend had no problems making himself comfortable. What was Gaara doing here anyhow?

Just at that moment, Naruto heard the quiet tap of feet next to him and he turned his head to his window, only to find it open and the silent red head perched on his sill. This would explain the gourd.

"G-Gaara?" Naruto tried to find his morning voice, a little distressed at the sudden appearance. As much has he had become used to Gaara's face and manners, it was still a little intimidating to see the boy sitting in his window, looking at him as if he were a hawk eying a small unsuspecting rodent.

Gaara watched Naruto through his eyes, expecting him to do something or say something about the previous night. He had waited long enough for the blonde to get his sleep and had even been kind enough to take away his alarm clock so when he did wake up, he wouldn't have the excuse of not getting enough sleep to run out of the conversation.

"What are you doing here?"

Gaara was certain if he didn't have years of becoming numb to society he would have fallen out of the window. Had Naruto completely forgotten the previous night? … Or did he remember and wasn't sure as to why Gaara had stuck around? …

Gaara frowned.

"Don't you remember last night," it came out more as a statement than a question. Naruto looked at Gaara like he was crazy and the red head narrowed his eyes in response, trying to get Naruto to think.

The blonde scrunched his face in concentration, crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a huff. He was apparently thinking hard.

Gaara watched the blonde anxiously awaiting his answer. He was literally on his toes and if the sand hadn't absorbed any perspiration his body made, he would be sweating. He was truly anxious.

"Hmm…" Naruto noised, turned his head to Gaara and looking at the boy as if his face might strike up a hidden memory. Instead, after a moment, Naruto dropped his hands to his sides and replied with, "Nothin'."

Gaara went into a mind shock and Naruto could see the passion removed from his friend's eyes, though he remained absolutely still. Naruto felt he had wronged the red head somehow.

After several minutes of Gaara not blinking, Naruto decided it would be a good time to check his vital signs.

"Gaaraaaaa…. Oi! Gaara!" Naruto repeated his friend's name, reflexively waving a hand in front of his unfocused eyes.

How could Naruto not remember? Why did the gods want to torture him like this? They knew he couldn't start a conversation like that to save his life. Even last night, Naruto had to coax it out of him… But he needed answers! … It was really not fair… but then again, life had never really been fair to him, had it?

Gaara caught sight of the hand waving in his face and he refocused his eyes, sending a glare in the blonde's direction, who upon seeing the glare immediately recoiled his limb.

What was his problem? Naruto thought to himself as he watch Gaara climb nimbly into the room and stalking to the other side and over towards his gourd.

Gaara fiddled with the large object, frustrated at his friend's inconvenient amnesia. He had spent the whole night in anticipation with nothing more than vague descriptions of emotions he had never felt before and now the person who was supposed to teach him about it, doesn't remember what they had conversed about…

Now that time felt wasted. Now it would be up to himself to figure such things out on his own. He was used to doing things on his own and was slightly upset at himself for having to rely on someone to explain the concept of love and its emotions to him.

This would take a lot of time and observation. He felt himself crinkle his face in annoyance. He was becoming extremely impatient lately and wondered if it had to do with his uncharacteristically racing heart.

Naruto watched Gaara do nothing productive with his gourd for a minute longer before giving him a strange look and looking at his bedside at his alarm clock.

Which was missing…

"Gaara… Did you see my alarm clock?" Naruto asked curiously, hoping that he just misplaced it somewhere before he went to bed… Somewhere within hearing range.

Gaara turned slightly at the mention of his name and then stood up as he realized he knew what his blonde haired friend was talking about. He turned around and looked at the slightly panicky blonde before casting a glance at the window. Naruto followed his gaze as he heard the sifting of sand drawing near.

Low and behold, a stream of sand shaped similar to an arm flew into his window, dropping a metal object in the blonde's lap before returning itself to the gourd. Gaara had forgotten he left the annoying little object up on the rooftop of the apartment building…

Naruto was somewhat surprised to see his alarm clock return in such a fashion, but he was a little more relieved now that he had it in his possession. He picked it up in his hands and watched sand fall from all the crevices and small holes where screws and gears were placed.

"Gaara…!" his name came as more of an impatient whine. "There's sand all in it…" Naruto shook the object with a frown to try and get rid of most of the red head's frustrating companion.

Gaara gave Naruto a small glare at the way he had used his name. He was used to Naruto calling it with a happy tone, not this "I'm upset, but I'm not going to tell you" voice. He didn't like it.

Simple pleasures like Naruto having him call his name like he was another human being were addicting. He was beginning to get a spoiled complex again…

It was then that Naruto's squinty eyes caught sight of the clock hands and he did a double take.

"11:43!!!" Naruto exclaimed, dropping the clock to the bed and grasping the sides of his head, pulling his hair. He was supposed to meet Team 7 at the bridge over two hours ago. "Gaara! Why'd you take my clock?!" Naruto shot at him. Not angrily, but it was easy to tell he was not exactly thrilled at the red head's actions. He seemed more frantic than anything. Today seemed to be a day for heart racing.

Gaara furrowed his brow as he watched his friend through icy green eyes. He really had good intentions… partially… It was mostly a selfish act, but he figured Naruto would benefit from it as well.

"I wanted you to be well rested for today…" It was the truth, but not entirely… However, Naruto didn't need to know all of that.

Naruto left his mouth agape, but let his hands loosen in his hair a little bit before allowing them to drop to his side. It was hard to be mad at the red head when he had good intentions, especially knowing how socially inept the boy was. He wasn't taking pity on him by dropping his anger. It was just more Naruto's capability to understand faults such as Gaara's.

This was just an innocent mistake and could be easily forgiven.

Naruto pouted and looked at the clock before hopping out of his bed.

"Aw man… Not even Kakashi-sensei's this late!" Naruto grumbled as he made way over to his kitchen and pulling out some water and putting it in a pot to boil. Gaara stood still, but followed the blonde with his eyes.

"Sorry." Gaara could tell he had done something wrong, but Naruto being the understanding person he was, wasn't about to take it out on him. The least he could do was offer up an apology. Despite what most would think, if Gaara knew he had done something what _he_ considered "wrong," he would apologize without a second thought. In this case, he apologized for whatever had made Naruto upset.

About half a year ago, he wouldn't have even apologized for killing people. Mainly because he thought they deserved it and did not deem it wrong in his mind. He had _always_ apologized before the incident with Yashamaru, even if it had gone unheard…

Naruto looked up from the pot he had been staring at so intently, as if willing the bowl to instantly boil. It took him a moment to comprehend Gaara's apology before giving him his ever-infamous smile and waving at the red head with a hand.

"Don't worry about it. Even amazing people like me make mistakes sometimes," Naruto stated confidently and Gaara gave Naruto a funny look…

What arrogance he had…

Gaara let his face fall back into its normal, seemingly emotionless position and he observed his friend wait impatiently with the pot. The moment the water started to bubble the boy had added the ingredients for his favorite ramen dish and a thought occurred to the red head.

"Don't you have to be somewhere?" Gaara questioned. He was under the impression that the blonde had freaked out at the time because he was late for something… and here the boy was, cooking a pot of ramen that was taking longer than it should.

"Yeah! But there's always time for ramen!" Naruto smiled happily at the steaming pot as he took it off the stove and poured it into a bowl and getting a set of chopsticks to devour his breakfast with.

Naruto was truly an interesting character, Gaara mused at the blonde's ideals.

Naruto shouted out the traditional phrase to signal the start of a meal, but as his chopsticks were about to hit his food he stopped and looked up at Gaara who had not moved throughout this ordeal.

"Oi, Gaara," Naruto said Gaara's name and Gaara repressed a shudder. That was how he liked to be addressed. "Did you want some?" Naruto offered Gaara some of his ramen and Gaara frowned a bit. Somehow, even if it was instant ramen, he didn't trust Naruto's cooking skills and quickly replied with a graceful shake of his head.

"Hmmm… Well at least sit down!" Naruto kicked the other chair that was across from him so that it slid out a little bit. "You're making me nervous standing there like that," the blonde admitted. Naruto wasn't too fond of people standing properly, it made him feel like he was in the Hokage's office and that he _had_ to do something to interrupt the seriousness of the atmosphere.

Gaara frowned at the accusation of making Naruto nervous. He hadn't been doing anything that seemed murderous. All he had been doing was standing… Though he found himself walking over towards the chair and taking a seat silently across from the blonde who all but inhaled the bowl of noodles. By the time Gaara had gotten situated the blonde had already stood up and started to clear the table, leaving the red head to deem his journey to the chair "pointless."

Gaara remained seated however and watched the blonde with his eyes as he messed around looking for his essentials, getting dressed clumsily and checking himself out in the mirror a few times before turning to Gaara and announcing it was time for him to go.

Gaara stood up from his seat calmly and walked over to where he had placed his gourd, picking it up with ease and fastening it mindlessly to his back.

Naruto stood at the door watching Gaara do this. The gourd had to be heavy and it made Naruto wonder if Gaara was physically strong at all, carrying that gigantic thing on his back all the time. It seemed something like what Fuzzy Brows would do.

But then again, Naruto let his eyes wander to Gaara's unpronounced arms and drew a better conclusion that Gaara probably levitated the gourd onto his back more than using his own strength. It was made out of sand after all.

"Is there something interesting about me that you have to keep staring," Gaara had a talent for making questions seem like statements. Naruto hadn't realized had been staring at the red head for several minutes.

"Hahaha!" Naruto laughed and placed a hand behind his head, ruffling the tufts of blonde. "Nothin' at all!" And with that he turned and walked out the door, allowing the red head to follow suite, locking the door and heading down the stairs to the training grounds where he hoped Team 7 would still be.

Gaara followed Naruto down the roads of Konoha, not entirely sure where he was going or why he was following the blonde. It's not like he was obligated to be there and could leave at any time he wanted.

Without missing a beat, Naruto subconsciously drifted to Gaara's side as they walked.

"Nee, Gaara. What are you doing here anyways?" Naruto decided he should start up some sort of conversation. Gaara was welcome to come with him to the training grounds he supposed, but he was sure Gaara had something better to do than watch him and Sasuke throw meaningless words at each other.

Gaara was silent for a little bit and Naruto waited for him to reply. He knew by now that the red head was not particularly good with words involving "small talk." If it involved a mission or something serious, he was generally a little quicker to respond, though his speech was always slow and calm.

"Observing," was probably the best way he could put it without lying. Gaara decided he didn't want Naruto to know what he was really doing by observing. The thought of Naruto knowing that Gaara was trying to decipher what kind of love he felt for the blonde made some of his insides stir unpleasantly, leading him to the decision to keep this secret until further notice. It had seemed rather awkward the previous night anyways and he was later, after careful consideration, silently thankful that Naruto didn't remember their conversation.

Naruto snickered and Gaara frowned. This was becoming rather obnoxious now. He was beginning to become annoyed with people laughing at his responses that were not intended to be humorous.

"Man you and Ero-Sennin should hook up sometime! He observes _all_ the time!" Naruto joked to the red head, jabbing him in the side with an elbow, the sand rising to cushion its blow.

Gaara let his eyes gaze to the blonde who continued to ramble on unaware that Gaara had no idea who he was talking about. That didn't seem to be the point though. It was nice every so often to listen to someone talk to him like he wasn't a freak.

"He's such a pervert. He says he's doing observations in the hot springs, but he's really just spying on the naked gir-!"

"Naruto!" a feminine voice interrupted Naruto's rant, which for some _unknown_ reason was beginning to insult the red head at his side. How dare the blonde accuse Gaara of being perverted! Somewhere in the back of his head he knew Naruto had meant it to be funny, but it had not been processed in his brain that way.

Thankfully, the girl had interrupted the blonde who was slowly and unknowingly stepping his way into a sand coffin.

Naruto stopped and squinted a bit to see the girl in the distance. The pink hair was all he needed to know the identity of the girl waving in his general direction.

"Ah! Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out cheerfully, allowing his hopes about Sakura going on a date with him rise to astronomical proportions. He immediately started to jog towards his teammate, waving a hand in return and leaving Gaara behind.

Gaara couldn't help but frown at this action. He preferred to have Naruto to himself, but this "Sakura" was also one of Naruto's important people… meaning he would have to share the interesting character.

Instead of running after him, Gaara walked calmly in his wake to where Naruto was pleading to Sakura to forgive him for being late. She seemed to be trying to say something to him, but he was obviously not listening. Another blonde haired girl was next to them and she appeared to be staring at Gaara with a confused look on her face as he stopped just behind the blue-eyed boy.

Sakura looked up at the sight of the red hair, ignoring Naruto.

"Ah! Hi, Gaara-kun!" she smiled at Gaara cheerfully and Gaara gave her a nod to acknowledge her presence. She didn't seem to be expecting more than that, which surprised him a little. He spared a glance in the female blonde's direction and he noticed that she didn't seem to be giving him the same look anymore. Instead, she seemed satisfied with knowing that he was welcome among the other two and he paid her no more attention.

Sakura turned her attention back to the Kyuubi holder and her voice instantaneously raised.

"Like I've been trying to tell you! We didn't have the training session today!" she yelled at the blonde, obviously frustrated with his excuses over nothing. Naruto stopped babbling nonsense and unclasped his hands, standing up from his bow.

"Huh? What do you mean? It was cancelled?" Sakura sighed.

"I was trying to tell you before. Kakashi-sensei decided we should take the day off from training…" she explained in a calmer tone to the blonde who nodded. "… Conveniently on the day that Jiraiya-sama's new book came out…" She added after a slight pause and looked to the side, a heavy sigh escaping her mouth.

"Man! Kakashi-sensei's almost as bad as Ero-Sennin sometimes…" Naruto nodded his head in agreement. Gaara watched Naruto interact with Sakura, not particularly absorbing any of the conversation. He just felt compelled to observe Naruto's body language as he spoke to the girl he had confessed that he had a crush on last night.

"Yeah…" the pink haired ninja trailed off in agreement, obviously distressed about her teacher's habits. The blonde haired girl snickered a bit at her friend before opening her mouth to Naruto.

"So anyways. We were just going to get you. A bunch of us are going to beach at the lake and we were going to see if you wanted to come," the other female ninja invited Naruto a smile on her face.

The blonde's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really?! I haven't been there in forever!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly, his voice squeaking a tad and making Gaara wince.

Gaara looked over at the blonde and narrowed his eyes a little bit at her as if she had committed a felony. She didn't seem phased by this at all, but did seem to get the message. The invitation would surely separate the two of them and Gaara would be left to wander the streets of Konoha alone until Naruto decided to return back to his apartment.

"Your little friend over there can come to," she threw in and Naruto turned at the mention of Gaara who seemed less than thrilled at being referred to as "little friend." Naruto had almost forgotten about Gaara in the midst of his excitement.

"What do you say, Gaara?" Naruto questioned. He wasn't too sure if Gaara would be keen on coming to a social event at a beach. Gaara looked at Naruto and could see the sparkle in his eyes and he knew Naruto well enough that he wouldn't abandon Gaara if he were to decline the offer. Who was he to deny Naruto some enjoyment?

Gaara gave a small nod.

"Then it's settled! We'll see you at the beach at around twelve! Ja!" the blonde haired ninja said, turning and walking away with a wave and a wink. Gaara thought she seemed a little too confident in herself. Her face was a little familiar and he thinks he might have seen her during the Chuunin exams. But apparently she hadn't made that big of an impression on him… Then again, very few did during that exam. The troublesome ninja and the one with large brows… as well as the Uchiha and of course Uzumaki Naruto had left the deepest impressions in him out of the many that had participated.

"See you later, Naruto! Bye Gaara-kun!" Sakura turned around, trotting to catch up with her friend and Gaara watched as they immediately started bickering and shoving each other all the way down the road. Were they really friends?

"Well then, let's go get ready," Naruto said, ever so excited about this change in routine. Gaara wasn't quite sure what they needed to get, but gave a small nod as he and Naruto retreated back down the road and towards Naruto's apartment.

Once inside, Naruto began shoving packs of ramen inside a bag and pulling out things like sunscreen, towels, and an umbrella. The blonde stood back and double-checked his belongings.

"I think that's it. Hehe! You're going to love this Gaara!" Naruto smiled at his friend who had not moved from his place in the middle of the room. Naruto's home was not particularly messy, but Naruto was sure quick to make it a mess he noted as he looked around the now disastrous room.

Gaara highly doubted his enjoyment at this gathering, but he would go along with it if Naruto said he would.

"Ah! Just one more thing…" Naruto said, a bell going off in his head. It looked as though he had plenty enough on the floor to take with him. What else could he need?

Gaara watched Naruto rummage through his drawers, tossing things out of the way before procuring two pairs of what appeared to be swim trunks. Gaara looked at them curiously, wondering why Naruto needed two, unless the blonde was thinking ahead and bringing a spare.

"Here!" Naruto said and took one pair, thrusting it at Gaara who looked at the shorts, trying to figure out what Naruto wanted him to do with them. Then it occurred to him that Naruto was letting Gaara borrow the pair because Gaara obviously didn't bring a set with him.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

"No thanks," he left his arms at his side, trying to will the clothing away with his eyes.

"What?! Come on! You're going to the beach!" Naruto looked horrified that Gaara was not going to wear beach clothes to the beach. "You have to wear them!'

"I don't swim," Gaara said, trying to persuade Naruto to drop the subject.

"You don't _have _to swim. You can sit around and get a tan! You really need it…" Gaara had about enough of this. It wasn't his fault that he was so pale… Well, maybe it was since he created the sand armor around him that blocked the sunlight from his skin…

But he recalled the last time he had went public bathing and remembered how awkward it had felt for him. It was enjoyable to relax in the water, but he didn't care for everyone staring at his nearly nude body. He was judged enough in his life for what he was; he didn't need people to start judging what he looked like.

"Naruto…" Gaara lowered his voice a little and Naruto could hear the sand hiss dangerously in the gourd. Naruto retracted the material and frowned at the red head. He hadn't made the sand do that in a while…

"Fine," Naruto stated firmly. "I'll bring it for when you change your mind," he said, stuffing the extra pair into a bag of miscellaneous items before retreating into the bathroom to change his clothes.

It wasn't even "_if_ you change your mind."

It was "_when_ you change your mind."

Naruto was so confident sometimes that it was ridiculous. His confidence in battle was an asset to the blonde, but it was also a hindrance. Naruto at this point in the game was unaware of his limits as a ninja and thus his over confident personality leads him into danger and physical harm. But it is also this self-assuredness that allows Naruto to do the impossible.

"Man, you're about as bad as Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled as he shut the door behind him, leaving Gaara to feel as though he's been insulted in some way.

Naruto came out of his bathroom clad in his red swim trunks adorned with, of course, _orange_ flowers and a black t-shirt with a red spiral on it. Gaara never paid attention to the clothing of people before and wondered why he was taking it in on Naruto. There was nothing he could gain out of the new attire, but perhaps it was just the fact that Naruto was wearing something other than his hideous orange jumpsuit.

"Ready Gaara?" Naruto said excitedly, hands on hips. Gaara gave a little nod at his friends over exuberance and decidedly picked up the umbrella, resting it on his shoulder. Naruto slung the bag onto his back.

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto said, pointing in the direction of the door as if he were preparing to execute a mission. The blonde grabbed hold of the backpack straps and took a step forward…

But didn't move.

"Hnngghh!! Hyyyuuhhh!! Hnnnnnn!!"

Gaara watched with mild amusement as Naruto tried to move the ridiculously large backpack across the room.

"Naruto… I don't think you need all of that…" Gaara decided to put in his two cents. There was no humanly possible way that Naruto of all people was going to bring that bag all the way to a beach. Maybe that Rock Lee person might have been able to… but he didn't seem like your average human to Gaara. Sometimes he wondered if the boy was also a jinchuuriki.

"Ah… I see…" Naruto said, scrunching his face, giving him the appearance of a disgruntled fox.

Gaara could feel the corner of his lip twitch.

113

After Naruto had dwindled down the items in his bag to something that was much easier to carry and conveniently fit on his back, the two made their way to the lake. On the nearly silent way to the beach, Gaara had learned that the name of the blonde female was Ino. Not that was any difference to him seeing as how he probably wouldn't remember it anyways.

And though the journey had been silent, Naruto's bright smile spoke enough for the both of them, creating a comfortable atmosphere between the two ninjas.

When Naruto caught sight of the clearing up ahead, he announced their arrival and ran the rest of the way down the dirt road to the mass of people waiting on the shoreline. Gaara did not see the reason for running and instead continued to walk at his own pace.

When Gaara finally made it to the shore of the lake, he stood at a safe distance from the crowd. It wasn't really a crowd, but there were quite a few people. Enough for Gaara to consider a social gathering. He recognized a few of the partakers. There was the lazy eye, the fat one. The Uchiha and the Sakura girl. The blonde ninja Ino and it was fairly easy to tell that there were two Byakugan users present. He didn't recognize the girl with the buns on either side of her head nor the boy with the small round sunglasses and clothes that hid his face.

However, Gaara took a little interest in the boy with the stripes on his face and his dog. They were the only two to look up at his presence and they seemed uneasy about it. In fact, the boy had actually taken a step back. Gaara turned his green eyes to the boy and he made a visible intake of breath before looking back at his group, occasionally casting a glance in Gaara's direction, as if thinking that he might disappear.

This boy was obviously afraid of Gaara like so many in his village. Gaara furrowed a brow and gave a quick frown at the boy. Gaara realized he had some catching up to do. No one so far he had met from Konoha seemed as frightened as the dog boy.

"Ah! Gaara!" Gaara flickered his eyes in the direction of the blonde boy who had called is name. "Come over here!" Naruto waved Gaara to come towards the group.

Gaara wasn't too keen on the idea of heading into the small mass of people. It was something he tended to avoid naturally. However, he found himself, stepping off the grass of the small clearing and into the familiar sand of the beach, walking the short distance to the group, still however maintaining an arms length away from them.

Naruto smiled at Gaara who in turn felt a little more at ease with the reassuring smile. Naruto turned to the others who awaited some form of explanation from the blonde.

"Gaara's gonna hang out with us today, okay guys?" Naruto explained the red head's presence to the few who seemed a little perplexed at his appearance. Gaara watched a few of the people look him over. The ones that already had an opinion of him, just sent a smile in his direction along with a few mumbles of "That's fine," "Whatever," and "Sure."

"Great! Then let's have some fun!" Naruto started, completely skipping over an important formality.

"Wait a minute Naruto! Aren't you going to introduce us? You're just like Lee, all go and no thought," the girl with the buns sighed.

"Ah! Ah!" Naruto left his mouth gaping like a fish. "I forgot!" he made a face that showed his dislike for admitting his fault. Sasuke made a small snort at Naruto's comment and Naruto grimaced in his general direction.

"Hnnn, anyways," Naruto said, starting the introductions and ignoring the Sharingan user's rudeness. "Most of them you've already met. There's Shikamaru and Chouji." Naruto pointed at the lazy eye and chubby ninja. Shikamaru nodded in acknowledgement and a smile found it's way to Chouji's food filled mouth.

"There's Sasuke-teme," Naruto said, a little gruff in his voice as he grimaced to his side. Sasuke made a similar look towards the blonde and Gaara was almost certain he saw a bolt of lightning pass between them. He suspected an intense rivalry lay between the two members of Team 7.

"That's Neiji and Hinata," Naruto made a thumbing motion behind him to the two Byakugan users. The female had taken on an interesting shade of red and started to shift behind the other who stood with his arms crossed, keeping an uncaring pale eye on Naruto.

"Tenten," Naruto pointed at the girl with the buns who smiled in return.

"Then there's Kiba, the bug guy, and Kiba's dog," Naruto pointed at the two humans and dog standing furthest away. Neither of the three looked too happy at their introductions.

"It's Akamaru! A-ka-ma-ru! How can you forget his name?!" the one known as Kiba yelled at the blonde who didn't seem to notice. The dog was violently yipping at the blonde.

"More importantly… Shino. How could you forget _my_ name?" the boy with the sunglasses said, unheard by most. He seemed positively irritated that he had been referred to as "the bug guy," though his voice had no indication to his disappointment.

"This of course is Sakura-chan!" Naruto said in that voice that was deemed slightly annoying. He announced the pink haired girl with what could be considered a "lovey-dovey" tone, which sickened just about everyone there. Sakura visibly twitched but managed a small tight smile for Gaara.

There was a small cough to the blonde's left and he was snapped out of his tunnel vision mode, turning to notice the last member of the group.

"Oh yeah. And this is Ino." Naruto said with distinctly less vigour.

"Hey!" Ino seemed a little upset at her less than enthusiastic introduction.

Gaara looked at them with his ice green eyes, taking in their characteristics and faces and wondering what makes Naruto drawn to them. These were his first friend's important people. They were the ones that Naruto fought for and was strong for. These were the ones that drove and compelled the blonde to over come all odds. Here they were… Naruto's pride and joy.

Suddenly, in that instant, Gaara felt as though he should do something as a sign of recognition and felt himself make a slight bow and nod in their direction.

"I am honored to meet Uzumaki's important people," Gaara said. No one said anything about the awkward phrase, but the blush that was on Naruto's face said it all.

Naruto had considered everyone present as someone important to his life, but he had never outright said it to their faces. For it to be done in such a way… It was a little embarrassing to the blonde and his face looked a little panicked. He hoped no one would say anything about it. Especially not Sasuke.

Gaara watched as a few of the people present gave a smirk or blushed. They had all known subconsciously that Naruto treasured every single friend that he had. As much as he was annoying and sometimes completely hopeless, he was as dedicated and loyal as any. Being referred to as one of the blonde's "important people" was embarrassing and at the same time, flattering.

Naruto was starting to wonder if Gaara made things awkward for him on purpose, or if it really _was_ just his inept social skills.

"So…!" Ino started, attempting to break the uncomfortable silence that Gaara had put them all in. Said red head remained unaware of the causes of his actions. "Who's up for water volleyball?"

This seemed to do the trick seeing as everyone visibly relaxed and some shouts of excitement were made. The crew from Konoha recovered quickly from social mishaps.

Gaara watched everyone disperse their own way to some bags, towels, and umbrellas situated near by. The red head, no longer being the center of attention decided to look for his favorite blonde.

His eyes settled on the boy bustling through his bag for something as he struggled to take off his shirt. He was obviously excited about this "water volleyball" topic seeing as how it was a little hard for him to function though he managed to pull out a pink bottle and began to rub the contents all over his body.

Gaara stepped forward gracefully and silently, making his way over to Naruto and setting the umbrella next to him. He had no particular interest in the "water volleyball" and decided it would be best to find a nice spot to sit down and start his observations.

This little outing he had been invited to might prove to be more useful in his understanding of love than he originally thought. During the preamble he had noted the different reactions of Naruto's important people to their individual introductions and the way that Naruto had addressed them.

If they were all Naruto's important people, that meant that Naruto loved them all in some unique way… right? So perhaps there would be different examples of love for him to analyze and maybe even match with his own.

He was about to retreat to some shady area under the tree line located about twenty feet or so from the edge of the beach line when a voice stopped him from his actions.

"Oi Gaara! Can you get my back for me?" Naruto had asked the redhead, turning his head slightly and holding up the bottle of lotion for Gaara to see, a large smile on his face.

Gaara turned around and looked at the blonde for a minute, his face emotionless and unreadable. Naruto could tell he was thinking because of the clockwork ticking in his eyes, but he was beginning to think he wasn't going to get an answer.

Much to his surprise however Gaara took a few steps forward and kneeled behind the blonde, graceful as ever before taking the lotion. Naruto turned forward, looking at the water anxiously as Gaara prepared to finish putting the lotion on his back.

Gaara frowned at the bottle and realized he would have to drop his sand barrier in order to do this… otherwise the sand would get in the lotion or weaken his sand armor with the moisture. It took a fraction of a second for Gaara to drop the armor from his skin, but the sound of sifting sand caused Naruto to look behind him and see what Gaara was doing.

Naruto gave Gaara a funny look when he saw the sand pouring from underneath the red locks of hair which looked so much softer now and his skin seemed much more real than before… some how… It then clicked to Naruto that Gaara must have released the barrier on his skin. Though he wasn't sure why. No matter.

Gaara noticed the look he was given, but figured Naruto didn't need an explanation. Surely the blonde could come to the conclusion of what he had just done on his own.

Naruto shrugged and turned forward again. Gaara was a strange character, but he was interesting. And even more so, he was someone here Naruto could connect with on a near empathetic level. It was strange really…

Gaara picked up the bottle and squirted some of the cold creamy substance into his hands and rubbed it around his fingers for a moment, testing it out. Gaara touched very little with his bare hands making textures fascinating to him. However, this greasy substance known as sunscreen was not what he considered pleasant.

"I don't understand why you use this stuff…" he said in a low voice as he squirted more in his hand, not having expected the blonde to answer him.

"This coming from the one who shields his body from the sun with sand… At least you can wash this stuff off without it sticking to your body," Naruto retorted. Gaara gave him a little frown at this. That was an unfair blow.

"Really though, you're so pale. Why don't you leave your sand off for the day and catch some rays?" Naruto suggested to the redhead who responded to the insult by slapping his palms on the blonde's back. Naruto jumped at the sudden flare that ran up his back, but didn't say anything since he knew he probably deserved that. Though he did reserve a pout directed at nothing in general.

While Naruto was obviously upset about the abrupt conclusion of his short one-sided conversation, Gaara was in another world. It occurred to him suddenly that this was the first time he has really had skin-to-skin contact with another human being outside of hands.

He suddenly felt the urge to close his eyes, heightening his sense of touch. He didn't move his hands for a few seconds, allowing is body to take in the feel of another person for this could be the only time the opportunity arises.

It was amazing what such a touch could do and make a person feel… Gaara felt his breath hitch in his throat.

He could feel Naruto take in and release the air from his lungs. He could feel his tanned skin expand slightly as he breathed.

He could feel the realness of the hard bone of his spine just below his skin.

And the faint beating of a living heart…

Naruto was alive and Gaara could feel it. He could feel it with his own two hands. He could feel _life_.

He wanted more of it. He wanted to feel more. To touch something and not have it wilt away and die, it was a miracle for the red head. It was something special. Something that he would cherish.

He dared to move his hands across the expanse of Naruto's shoulders, smearing the lotion over the skin, successfully rubbing it in with his ministrations. He could feel the blonde's muscles ripple and shift… expanding and contracting. Right below his fingertips even. He brought them over the sides of his arms and up to the nape of his neck, allowing his fingers to spread and knead at the skin below it.

The red head could feel the tenseness of the blonde and the reactions of his body that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

It was amazing.

He mindlessly let his hands wander lower to Naruto's back and he took notice of the harder muscle located near the small of his back. He let them drift swiftly back up to Naruto's fleshier shoulder blades, feeling the way they shifted as Naruto rotated them under his hands.

He allowed them to drift back down, covering the rest of his lower back before moving bravely to Naruto's sides and kneading the softer area.

Gaara felt Naruto's body give a couple of convulsions under his touch and he heard a stifled snort, snapping him from his thoughts and causing him to open his eyes though he did not let go of the boys sides. He watched as the blonde twitched a few more times and stifled some more sounds before letting out a roar of laughter.

"It! It! Ti-ckles!" Naruto managed to get out between his laughter and need for air. Gaara reluctantly let go of the blonde who immediately started to calm down.

"Naruto!" one of the girls called over from the water, causing both boys to look in the direction of the voice. The net was already set up and everyone involved in the game was in their bathing suits and had taken their positions.

Naruto's smile turned into a slightly annoyed look.

"I'm coming!" he yelled back at them. Gaara had already started to stand knowing this would be their parting for now. Naruto stood up, brushing the sand off of his shorts and he looked at Gaara.

"Sure you don't want to play?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Gaara said, though his mind was somewhere else as he looked at his hands. Naruto couldn't help but feel he's seen that look on the red head somewhere before.

"Suit yourself," and with that the blonde ran over to the players, retorting and defending himself at some playful insults and spouting a few excuses. It only took the group a minute to establish rules and boundaries before starting the game.

Gaara however, decided to continue with his original plan to sit in the shade, not bothering to put back on his sand armor. Maybe he would listen to the blonde and try to get a little sun.

More importantly however, was just what had occurred… He had just touched another living being with his bare hands… He could feel the smoothness of his skin and all of the imperfections… Skin was an amazing organ and he swore he could feel it breathe.

It was an enlightening experience for the red head. He had proved to himself that his hands that have only been used for bloodshed could be used to inspire happiness in others like making people laugh as he had done to Naruto.

Then another thought occurred to him. He had just touched _Naruto's_ back…

He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something private and sensitive about touching another in such a way. At least for Gaara there was.

He could feel his face warm a bit and he attributed it to the sun that was touching his pale skin.

Gaara felt the strange urge to touch more of Naruto's skin, to see what the rest of it felt like.

What else could he touch?

What else could he feel?

What textures would he find?

What reactions could he create?

He wanted to feel more. He wanted to see if he could feel the blood running through Naruto's veins. He wanted to see if he could make him fabricate more noises. He wanted to feel Naruto's life with his hands. His stained hands that some how felt more pure…

It was like Naruto was purifying him somehow…

Gaara stopped his thoughts when he realized he had come to the tree line border and he gazed up at the tall pines and oaks before taking a seat in the grass, sitting tall and rigid as always with his arms crossed over his chest.

He watched as the group members started their game, but was immediately disrupted as three members of the group started to walk over to him. The lazy eye, the fat one, and the "bug guy," as Naruto labeled him. Gaara never once moved from his position, but did follow their every movement with his eyes.

"Looks like Gaara has the right idea," Shikamaru said as he trudged over towards the red head in the shade, hands in pocket. He flopped down on the grass about a foot away from Gaara, lying back with his hands behind his head, his eyes now focused on the clouds above. "Clouds are much less troublesome…"

Chouji took a seat next to Shikamaru, sitting up so not as to choke on the bag of chips he was currently munching on. He didn't say anything other than a little grunt to show that he agreed with the lazy ninja beside him.

The "bug guy" took a seat a few feet away from Gaara and leaned back on his hands. He didn't say anything at first, leading Gaara to believe he wouldn't speak. Then…

"It's Shino…" was all that came out of his mouth and Gaara spared him a glance. It was quite obvious even though most of Shino's face was not visible that he was sulking greatly from being introduced as the "bug guy."

The reason Gaara had come over to this area was to stay away from the other people. It's not that he was trying to be antisocial; it's just that he didn't feel like sitting around them. If he did he knew that Naruto would nag at him until he did come over.

However, he didn't mind the company of the three who had joined him as long as they didn't talk to him. He had a lot on his mind and he didn't feel like struggling with small talk today. It was good, in that case that the lazy eye and the other two didn't seem as though they were going to talk to him.

It was nice he supposed. It was nice to have a few people near him who weren't afraid to join him in his company without his permission. It made him feel a little more welcome in the group and less like an intruder.

Also these three provided proof that not _everyone _was wearing a bathing suit seeing as how the three of them were all still fully clothed. Naruto was wrong, he thought smugly.

Gaara however finds his eyes drifting towards the blonde on the make shift water court. It was amazing that at this distance Gaara could still pick out his wide smile. It was just that bright.

He watched as the ball was hit to the blonde who watched it, as it was about to go over his head. The water would provide too much resistance against his legs to be able to get to the ball fast enough.

Then Naruto did something unexpected as he often does. Gaara watched as he took a step out of the water and on top of it, running on the water and hitting the ball back over the net.

Gaara had to give Naruto credit. That was fairly creative.

Really, Naruto's skills as a ninja were improving traumatically. He may not get it right all of the time, but the utilization of them in a game was proof of his development.

"Well if we're playing that way…" the Uchiha said, moving into a combat position. One of the Byakugan users made a noise of approval and moved in a likewise manner. This game was going to end badly Gaara felt. Naruto also had a way with opening new windows to trouble.

Naruto.

Naruto was a lot of things.

He was a ninja. He was strong and righteous. He was silly and goofy. He was understanding and a friend. He was a jinchuuriki and yet he was also a human being.

But what was he to Gaara?

Well… He was definitely someone Gaara admired because he had shown him a light he hadn't seen before… He was someone Gaara had let into his own world and was someone Gaara felt he could share things with… He made Gaara want to experience new things. To live a little and try again.

But that still didn't give him any answers…

How did one classify love? How could anyone know what way they felt towards someone? It all just seemed so strange and unfamiliar… Maybe it would be easier to analyze another's feelings…

Gaara allowed his eyes to refocus on the scene in front of him. There were quite a few people there. All of which feel some form of love for the blonde boy in their presence. What kind of love it was might differ…

The easiest observations to make would most likely be those interactions that Naruto has with his own team members: Sakura and the Uchiha.

Naruto had said he loved the pink haired ninja the previous night in the "marriage" sort of way. So to be in love in this sort of manner, one had to act the way Naruto does around Sakura.

Naruto was softer spoken when talking with her, Gaara had noticed in some of their earlier conversations with the girl. He was not as boisterous about his own qualities and holding her happiness in a higher priority. He didn't argue with her and instead was trounced upon… He even called out to her in an annoying manner when greeting…

So to love someone enough to want to marry them… one had to be a spineless idiot.

There was no way in Shukaku's hell would Gaara _ever_ want to place himself in a situation where he would have pet names for another or allow someone walk over him like a worn out doormat.

If marriage meant such behavior, why would anyone willingly agree to the pact? Was there some benefit in treating a woman as such? …

People were too complicated with emotions and the like.

Gaara however, from this crude observation concluded that he did not love Naruto in the sense that the blonde does for Sakura. That much he was certain. Never did he feel the need to let the blonde win in any argument… though he did wish for the other's happiness.

Then there was the Uchiha… Any ninja could easily tell that Naruto and the survivor were rivals. Those hidden looks and the snarky attitudes towards one another… It was quite obvious that the two viewed each other as someone worth their time.

The Uchiha was definitely one of Naruto's important people and it struck Gaara as strange as to how Naruto could feel some form of love towards a rival.

This was a bit more difficult case of love to classify since Gaara had no verbal confirmation from anyone what it was Naruto felt for the Uchiha. They constantly fought with one another and sometimes it looked like they wanted to beat each other up… Or at least Naruto did… The Sharingan user seemed to play it "cool" most of the time and either ignored Naruto as an insult or say something that would rile the blonde.

How was that love? Love, Gaara thought, was supposed to make people feel less hurt and broken…

"Well… there's the kind of love you feel for your family. I'm pretty sure Temari and Kankurou love you as their brother. I've never had family, but I hear you feel really strong towards them."

Gaara was certain that there was an intense bond that Naruto and the Uchiha shared; one that they never said anything about to anyone. So it was possible for their love to fit under such a category…

Gaara wasn't sure if he could say he felt strongly towards his brother and sister, but he was more tolerant of their actions more than others. For his level and capacity for the subject at hand, he supposed he could say he felt strongly towards his siblings… And he did want to hurt them at times as they annoyed him greatly similar to how the blonde and dark haired boy bicker with one another… Though he mostly kept those thoughts to himself versus verbalizing them.

Gaara had concluded that Naruto loved the Uchiha as family…

Gaara also supposed he could feel the same way about Naruto. He was sure he felt more strongly towards the Kyuubi holder than any person in his life thus far. He also felt similar urges to make the blonde stop talking… It was a possibility…

There were so many things to consider and so many possibilities. None of which were set in stone. It made the wheels in the red head's brain twirl around as he toyed with some of the ideas.

Naruto and the things the boy made him feel had been occupying Gaara's mind for the better portion of a few months. It was beginning to drive him to the edge again and he could feel the tension in himself beginning to build up. He was doing a good job at suppressing most of his not completely deceased carnal urges so far, but these new realizations and unaccustomed emotions were too much for him to handle so early in his metamorphosis.

This caused Gaara to wonder if Naruto thought about Gaara as much as the red head did about him, if he even thought about him at all. It wasn't like Naruto didn't have other people to worry about. The blonde had a whole slew of important people in his life and Gaara was just one of the many…

It wasn't like he lived close by to forcibly stay in the blonde's thoughts either…

For some reason the thought of Gaara's importance in Naruto's life depressed him. It made his chest ache inside… Why did this hurt?

"Heads up!"

Gaara lifted his eyes from the grass in time to see a ball headed in his direction though he made no motion to move. He could immediately tell that the ball was not going to hit him, but would instead hit the unsuspecting lazy eyed ninja next to him. As amusing as it would be to see the boy be startled by the ball, he did the courteous thing.

Shikamaru opened an eye just in time to see a small wall of sand in his view and a ball bouncing off of it, rolling onto the ground. He allowed himself to sit up a small bit and cast a sideways glance at the stoic red head who hadn't moved in what was most likely an hour or so.

He felt a smirk grace his mouth.

"Thanks," Shikamaru said before laying back down, positioning his hands behind his head. He was planning on just letting the ball hit him seeing as it would have been much too troublesome to dodge it… It's not like the ball would hurt him or anything.

Gaara did not respond to the gratitude that the ninja gave him, but was sure the lazy eye had picked up that Gaara was not particularly conversation savvy during their last encounter.

With barely the bat of an eye the sand snaked its way around the ball and lifted it up, tossing it easily back to the group positioned in the shallow water.

Neiji caught the ball.

"Thanks, Gaara!" Naruto yelled and waved his hand quickly to acknowledge his friend, a green crystal proudly dangling about his neck. Naruto looked seemingly less troubled than Gaara at the moment and it made Gaara wonder if Naruto had a care in the world.

A lingering stare stole Gaara's eyes away from the blonde that he admired so much. He focused his green eyes on the boy with the red tattoos on his cheeks.

Gaara felt his brow furrow.

The boy, he knew, had been watching him since he had first arrived… looking at him with those all too familiar eyes; the ones full of fear. The boy had the eyes of Suna in him. All he was seeing was the monster from the Chuunin exams. It's not like Gaara could blame him though… He had willingly chosen to try and kill most of this boy's friends and villagers.

However, there was a flicker of something across his eyes and his dog companion was no longer hiding behind his legs. It was something Gaara was quite familiar with recently. Curiosity.

Curiosity as to what, the red head couldn't say, but it was a sign the boy was not in absolute fear. It was a sign that the boy was reconsidering his earlier assumptions.

By no means was Gaara expecting a change to happen within this boy anytime soon… but it did provide him with a hope that change _does_ happen. That it is possible for someone to change their opinion of him…

That his new dream was not a lost cause…

114

It was not long after the intense game of volleyball came to an end and all of its participants trudged out of the still lake water. There were some arguments over who the winning team was, though all had given up in favor of eating food seeing as how massive amounts of chakra were used up in the game.

"Lunch?" Shikamaru opened an eye to look at his larger friend who had already begun to stand up. This is what Chouji had been looking forward to all day. He, Ino, and Shikamaru had spent all morning packing lots of food for the day.

"Tch! I guess I should go eat… Man, isn't there a more _convenient_ way to eat food? It's too troublesome…" Shikamaru said, heaving himself up onto his feet, leaving it blatantly obvious that he didn't want to leave his spot in the grass.

"We should probably join them as well…" Shino stated silently to Gaara as he stood up as well, heading in the direction that the group was situating themselves in. Gaara wasn't particularly hungry and therefore felt no need to join the group of familiars.

However, when a loud rambunctious blonde who was currently bothering the male Byakugan user came into his perspective, he felts himself gracefully rise to his feet and walk silently over to the others, arms still crossed over his chest.

A few of the girls were spreading out what looked to be a red plaid blanket. The chubby ninja was setting out the food in the middle of it as his lazy eyed friend sat at the edge of the blanket, waiting for everything to be situated.

Gaara stood a few feet away from the scene, watching everybody take their seats. The two Byakugan users sat next to each other, though the female tended to avoid the male's gaze. She seemed incredibly shy and almost guilty if her eyes strayed from their spot on the ground.

The girl with the buns on either side of her head was situated next to the male Byakugan user, but she was conversing with Naruto who sat at her left. He could hear them talk about the absence of Rock Lee who had been present at Naruto's sleep over the last time Gaara had been in Konoha. Apparently he was going through some physical therapy for his leg and arm. It had been mostly healed, but he needed to get it checked out every so often the girl had explained to the blonde.

The Uchiha had been unfortunately placed in between Sakura and Ino, who were fighting around him. He seemed to be unbothered by the commotion, as if he were used to it and instead sent glances at nothing in particular.

The fanged boy and his dog suddenly took a seat next to the female Byakugan user, striking up a conversation with her. She immediately set to a nervous habit of twiddling her fingers together as she struggled with words. Shino sat down quietly at the other side of the dog owner who almost instantaneously became disgruntled as the two gave semi-silent arguments.

The only quiet place was next to the lazy eye and his friend. Gaara was about to step in the direction of the only two who were quiet when someone called out to him.

"Oi, Gaara! Come sit over here," Naruto said, patting a spot next to him as he shifted over a bit. Gaara debated it. Of course he would prefer to sit next to Naruto, however the empty and quieter space next to Shikamaru and Chouji looked a bit more comfortable.

Then again…

Gaara looked at Naruto's inviting smile and suddenly he was next to the blonde. How was it he caved so easily to him? Why was it that Naruto was the only one who could make him feel the way he does? Why was he the only one that could make him do things that went against his better judgment?

Gaara took a seat, sitting cross-legged, back straight and his arms folded in his lap.

"So what did you do the whole time?" Naruto asked, trying to involve Gaara in the conversation. Gaara was quite sure Naruto had seen him sitting idly on the grass and deemed his question pointless.

"Hey, you've got a bit of color on your face," Naruto noted incredulously and it took Gaara a minute to realize what he meant. He felt a hand go to his face and noted it was quite warm all over. Suddenly, Naruto's face lit up. "You have sunburn!" He pointed and started to laugh.

Gaara's eyes widened. When had his sand armor left his body? Then it hit him. When he had put on Naruto's sun lotion he had released it so as not to moisten the sand on his hands.

He cursed at himself mentally for forgetting to put it back on. Never in his life had he left himself without the sand armor for too long and he wondered briefly if he had been that distracted by the sensation of the blonde's skin that he had left himself vulnerable without realizing it. Naruto's effect on him was quite dangerous…

He made a quick hand sign and held it, as sand poured out of his gourd and swarmed over his body, masking the reddened skin on his face, hands, and toes. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on him due to the movement of the sand. Thankfully, their eyes only held curiosity, meaning that no one had actually noticed his moment of fault.

"I've got aloe back at my place you can have," Naruto said, wiping some tears from his eyes as he continued to giggle out the last of his fit. Gaara was not sure he was looking forward to what would ensue later. He had heard that sunburn was very painful and seeing as though Gaara had never really had the sun touch his skin, let alone burn it, he assumed it would be worse than normal. Thankfully the sand that now covered his skin was cool, creating a nice relieving sensation on his flesh.

Most everyone shrugged off the conversation after a moment and started picking at things to eat. Naruto was busy eating his ramen, which Sasuke had unwillingly heated up for him with a miniature Katon.

"Gaara-kun?" Gaara heard a feminine voice next to him address him. The voice was not full of fear like most others who address him as such. Instead it spoke to him as a familiar, similar to the way Naruto did. Though, for some reason unbeknownst to the red head, it did not send shivers up his spine the way the blonde's voice did. Was it because Gaara had a stronger connection with the blonde than he did anyone else present?

Gaara turned his head to the pink haired ninja at his side, signaling to her that he had heard her.

"You can eat you know. We made this food for everyone," she stated, making a slight gesture with her chopsticks to the food on the blanket.

"_We_ made the food? You didn't do anything with the food billboard brow! It was _me_!" the blonde female had corrected her friend. Shikamaru's halfhearted insertions of how he and Chouji had helped as well, went unnoticed. Gaara wasn't sure why Ino had objected to Sakura's statement; the information was of no importance to him.

Gaara however, remained not hungry. Though he did pick up a plate and a few interesting items splayed out to munch on out of politeness.

"Nee, Gaara-kun," another female to his left started. Gaara looked at her with his eyes, squinting them a bit in annoyance. She did not seem phased by the narrowing of his eyes however and instead continued. "How do you control the sand like that? Is it some kind of jutsu?"

Gaara commended her for her boldness. Most people just head for the hills before asking him questions as such. She probably deserved an answer for having the guts to even ask him. Everyone's focus silently shifted to the conversation at hand and Gaara suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

He saw Naruto's fox eyes turn towards him and he felt slightly more relaxed with the comforting thought that no matter what he said, Naruto would still love him in his own way. It's not like the answer was going to be traumatic for the others, but he was a little nervous about his horrendous social graces. Thankfully his emotionless features spared him.

"I've always been able to control the sand," Gaara started. "It's become second nature to me now…" he said carefully leaving out the part about Shukaku, his resident demon. He was fairly certain that everyone in his presence knew about the demon, but it didn't mean he had to remind them of it.

Tenten gave him a funny look that signaled to him that she wanted to ask him more about it, but was choosing not to.

Gaara was about to place a scrumptious looking piece of egg in his mouth when…

"Gaara-kun?" Gaara turned to Sakura with a look on his face that showed that he was beginning to get irritated with the interruptions, but was trying to remain calm.

"What's it like in Suna? Is it hot and humid like here during the summer?" Gaara really didn't want to answer the questions, but felt that he should, seeing as how they were important people to object of his low levels of affection.

"It's hot… but the air is mostly dry," he responds, hoping to quickly finish the small bit of food he was eating.

"Nee! Nee!" he heard another voice to his right and turned to watch Ino shove Sakura's face violently to the side. "Since it's hot, do the clothes you wear keep you cool? You seem to wear a lot of layers."

"To an extent… They're mostly to keep the sun off of us," Gaara responded quickly, hoping if he answered fast enough he would be left alone. As much as he enjoyed the bit of attention, all of the questions directed at him were making him uncomfortable. He glanced sideways at the blonde who continued to happily slurp down ramen, completely unaware of Gaara's discomfort.

Gaara really just wanted to be left to his thoughts at the moment.

Thankfully, Sakura sat up and began a verbal fight with Ino, leaving Gaara in peace.

"Ino-pig!" she shouted. The two grabbed at each other's hair and face, yanking and pulling on it, all the while, the Uchiha sat quietly in between them eating his meal.

These friends of Naruto's were strange characters. They were much livelier than the uptight and strict villagers of Suna. Maybe that's why Gaara felt discomfort in their presence… He was not used to people asking so many questions about his life.

It was a good half hour or so before everyone was full and sitting about, making small conversations with one another as the food sat in their stomachs. Any sort of strenuous activity didn't seem appealing at the moment. All the food had made them a bit sluggish and tired.

Gaara was one of the only ones who was not feeling the effect of the good meal and sat quietly in the midst of most of the conversations, again not particularly paying attention to any of them. Instead he has found himself back to his earlier thoughts of his relationship and feelings towards his blonde friend.

It was so hard to classify what he felt for the blonde with words. It was like he knew what they were, but there was no way to verbalize them to the other. He felt that the only possible way to understand the feelings himself was to show him. How he would show him he was unsure. He would somehow have to let go of all safety restraints and that was something he wasn't sure he was ready to do.

Suddenly the object of his thoughts rose from his feet, a look of determination in his eye. Gaara watched him silently as he stalked over towards the beach area to where another member of the group had wandered to unnoticed.

Naruto walked over to Hinata who had gotten up to leave the group, finding her thoughts in the sand. She idly drew shapes and words into the sand, allowing her thoughts to flow. She took her finger back and smiled at the word that occupied her mind a great deal.

Naruto.

This was the boy she had admired from afar. Even during his clumsier age before they were Genin and despite the way he was treated by others. No matter how many times he failed or how many times he fell, Naruto would get up and give one hundred percent again. It was a noteworthy ability and Hinata praised him silently in the background. Always watching him…

"Whatcha doin' Hinata?" Hinata froze at the sound of the voice. She could suddenly feel hot breath against her cheek and she slowly moved her pale eyes to the side of her, only to spot the one she had just been thinking about and whose name she had written in the sand. Heat rushed to her face and she fell forward into the sand with a small noise in attempts to cover up what she had written.

"N-n-naruto-kun?" she said with surprise, refusing to sit up from her awkward position. Naruto stood up straight and looked at the girl who still had her parka on, despite being in a bathing suit. He gave her a funny look, deeming her a "strange girl."

Gaara watched the scene from afar. Even for someone like himself it was quite obvious that she loved Naruto in a special way. She looked very nervous talking to him and her face was pitifully red as he spoke to her.

"Ah… There she goes again," the dark haired girl sitting next to Gaara spoke. She must have noticed the direction of his gaze. "She's so obvious about her feelings for him. It's a wonder that he doesn't notice she's in love with him." Tenten said with a sigh so full of pity.

From Tenten's explanation, Gaara concluded that the dark haired girl meant "marriage love." Gaara felt himself get defensive at the thought of another person loving Naruto in such a way. He almost felt threatened… like there was competition between himself and the Byakugan user for Naruto's attention. Not that Gaara wanted to marry Naruto or anything… He just didn't want to share his only friend with anyone. From stories he's heard, wives are high maintenance. If Naruto were to involve himself in such a way, there would be even less room in his life for Gaara than there already was.

But there was something that didn't quite click with Tenten's explanation… The girl didn't quite fit Naruto's personality when he tried to woo Sakura. Where as Naruto tried to keep her calm and happy while still being an idiot, the shorthaired girl seemed to be doing almost the opposite.

She was confusing him and frustrating the blonde, he could tell, by her avoidance and inability to speak properly to him. She was a bit awkward, but not idiotic or silly in any way. She blushed heavily and never made eye contact, still playing with her fingers. So how could this be "marriage love?" It didn't fit Gaara's definition…

Could it be… that…

Naruto had been watching the Byakugan user muss her hands around in the sand in front of her, creating small hills and rivulets.

"Hmm… Hinata! You're a genius!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly at the girl who appeared to be at a loss.

"I- I am?" she questioned quietly, though it was quite obvious she was happy that she had inspired Naruto to do something.

"Hey! Hey!" the blonde turned to the lounging inactive group, waving his arms frantically. It was like he had a secret he just couldn't keep in any longer. "Let's have a sand castle contest!"

A lot of groans sounded out through the area. It did not seem like a popular idea. Gaara had to agree.

"Can't you come up with anything a little less childish than building _sandcastles_? Dobe…" Sasuke snorted at Naruto who immediately began to fume. As much as Naruto was his friend, he couldn't help but admit the boys lameness. Though he did always manage to keep him on his toes…

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto growled out a bit at his best friend. He turned around with a huff and a disgruntled look upon his face, crossing his arms around his bare chest.

"I bet you know I'd win because you suck at being creative, bastard…" the blonde hadn't _really_ meant for Sasuke to hear the comment, though a small portion of him had hoped he d id. The Sharingan user was much more fun to be around when they were competing for something and one of the things that irked him the most, was losing to someone.

Gaara could have sworn he heard a vein pop in the Uchiha's head as all eyes turned to the boy who had stood up suddenly.

"Naruto!" Sasuke growled out. "You'll regret this…" he stated with a smirk, trudging off to the sand where a blonde who now had a similar smirk on his face. The smiles were only meant for one another to see and understand. To everyone else, it would look like they were arguing yet again, but they knew better than to take the idle threats and harsh words to heart.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said to herself. She hadn't expected the dark haired boy to be suckered into the silly competition so easily.

"Sasuke-kun's participating? I want to do it too!" Ino said, not hesitating to invite herself, standing up and running after the boy. This seemed to snap Sakura out of her daze and she stood up as well, running after her blonde friend.

"Wait a minute! Ino-pig!" she shouted.

"Hm. Might as well join them," Gaara looked over to see Tenten standing up and walking over to the growing group of contestants, a smile on her face.

"What do you say? Akamaru?" Kiba turned to his companion who gave a happy "arf" in response and the two set off as well.

"… This could be interesting… I think I might join," stated Shino, almost completely unheard. He walked after Kiba and the small white dog. Gaara hadn't taken Shino as to be the type to participate in this kind of event. Then again, he shouldn't be one to judge others.

"What a troublesome group… I'm not going to even bother…" came the lazy eye.

Shikamaru took this time to flop on his back, giving a small stretch and shutting his eyes for a good nap. However, it was short lived as Ino was suddenly at his side again, blocking the sun from his eyes. He opened up one of his tired slits and looked at her frustrated face.

"Oh no you don't! You're coming with me," she said, grabbing him by his earring and dragging him over to the rest of the crew. Shikamaru tried desperately to get his legs to stand up so as to relieve the horrible strain on his earlobe.

"Tch-ow! Wait! What about Chouji-ow! Ow! Ino…!" Shikamaru was losing his patience with the bossy girl who let go of him the moment they hit the sand and Gaara could see the annoyance on his face. Chouji however remained sitting in his spot, still eating what was left over from their lunch with a quiet smile.

Gaara watched them one by one, get up and move to the beach area, following Naruto's lead. Naruto had a talent for riling people into activities. It was amazing that nearly three quarters of the group had agreed to go along with such a silly game. Naruto would make a great Hokage some day…

"Neiji!" Tenten shouted over to the remaining three people. "Are you going to play?"

"Absolutely not!" Neiji said in a way that almost insulted everyone who was participating in the impromptu event. Gaara frowned at him a bit. This Byakugan user was much different than the other. Where the girl was shy and quiet, this boy seemed to be up tight and not afraid to speak his mind on matters.

By the time all matters were settled, the male Byakugan user and Chouji had been drafted into the contest by being judges. Gaara had moved to stand closer to the commotion, but remained just within earshot, watching from a small distance.

"You have twenty minutes to build your …sand castle," Neiji said the word with a bit of disgust. He wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten roped into this silly contest, but he figured it could be worse. At least he was only judging. "Time starts… now!"

With the signal the participants furiously dug their hands in the sand and began piling on a base. This part would be fairly boring. The only thing about the game that interested the on looking red head was his favorite blonde's creation. However, he did not need to sit and watch him make it. In the mean time he could debate his possible revelation…

"Hey Gaara," Gaara stopped in mid turn and looked back at the owner of the voice. Naruto was looking at Gaara with his slit eyes. "Aren't you going to make one too?"

Gaara gave Naruto a strange look and turned to face him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't think that would be fair to everyone else, Naruto," he said softly. Naruto gave him a smile and waved off the excuse.

"Nah, nah! It'd be fine! Just don't use your powers," Naruto said, moving back to his lump of sand. "Besides… I'm guaranteed to win!" he added in with a confident snicker followed by a strange laugh.

"I think I'll pass…" Gaara gave the boy one last glance, turning around to follow through with his original plan. Though he couldn't help but wonder what the boy was planning…

Twenty minutes passed fairly quickly much to everyone's surprise.

"Time!" Chouji called, raising a hand to signal everyone to stop working on their castles.

Neiji and Chouji walked over to the first contestant, Tenten.

"Hmm… It's design and architecture are unique and nearly flawless. A fine castle indeed," Chouji gave a critique and Tenten smiled. She had used one of her kunai to smooth out the sand and make notches for windows and smaller details. Neiji merely eyed it before giving a nod and a mutter of the number nine for a score and moving to the next one, which happened to be Sasuke.

By this point Gaara had gotten up from his spot in the shade to see Naruto's competition and found himself cringing as he quickly glanced over the creations.

"Its… interesting," Chouji managed to say with a tilt of his head, trying to figure out what it was.

"Uchiha, what is that?" Neiji said, frowning at the Sharingan user. Sasuke returned the frown and shot him glare.

"It's the Uchiha mansion… Is there a _problem_ with it?" Sasuke said, his voice low. Chouji eyed the maze of lumps of sand and could kind of see how it might have resembled the large house… If he strained his eyes…

"Four," Neiji said bluntly and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as the two judges moved to the girls who were sitting uncharacteristically patiently next to him. The moment the two judges stepped in between them, they could feel the tension… it was very ominous.

In front of Sakura sat a nicely sculpted house with fresh water shells for decorations. There was even a porch, though neither judge was sure how she had done that. In front of Ino sat another house with what appeared to be a garden of small flowers she had found in the nearby grass.

There was a few moments of silence where no body said anything, however when Ino became impatient she sent a glare in Chouji's direction.

"Well?" the blonde started. Chouji felt the sweat run down the back of his neck and he ran through things in his head to say.

"Well… Uh… it's… nice?" He managed to get out with a semi smile. Ino smirked and Sakura turned to her with a glare. One of the judges was on her team so she had the advantage in this. Maybe she could convince Neiji.

"Well?" she turned towards the Byakugan user. "Which one is better?" Both looked at him with equal intensity and suddenly he felt as if he were put on the spot.

To Neiji, this had seemed to turn into a competition between the two girls and it seemed neither could care less about winning the actual game.

"Isn't it obvious Sakura? My dream house is way better than that shack you call a home," Ino said, pointing at Sakura's creation.

The two judges looked at each other for a moment.

Dream house?

Sakura let out a near feral growl as she stood up in her passion.

"Hah! What are you talking about? As if Sasuke-kun would ever live in a house like that. Look at all those weeds!" the pink haired girl retaliated. Ino stood up to the challenge.

"It's a garden!" she defended her work and suddenly hair was being grabbed and cheeks were being pulled yet again. Neiji had about enough of this nonsense. This is one of the main reasons he had decided against participating in this craze.

He clenched a fist and closed his eyes.

"I can't give either of you a score," he spoke to them in a manner that meant he was trying to retain his composure. The people he hung around were not that bright and easily frustrated him.

"What?"

"Why?" The two girls paused in their fury and gave him confused looks. Why couldn't their creations be judged?

"This is a _sand castle_ contest… Those are _not_ sand castles," Neiji explained as if he were explaining to children. Realization dawned over their faces as they realized they were in yet another tie and stalemate to win the affection of Sasuke.

The girls settled down and Chouji and Neiji set off to their next contestant.

Kiba was next and he sat looking proudly at his castle, which was in the shape of a paw print. Chouji looked at it.

"Very creative," he stated his opinion. It was in fact the most creative they had seen yet. All the others had retained the basic fairy tale castle structure.

"Seven," Neiji said nonchalantly. He couldn't care less about creativity. The fact that it resembled a castle at all was a feat for this group.

Shino sat next to Kiba who seemed proud of his own score. Both judges had to do a double take at the castle in front of them. Not only had Shino made a somewhat decent castle… he had included his own army of bugs, which marched through the doors and built halls inside the castle.

"It looks fairly normal…" Chouji said, looking at the outside of the mound of sand, which was not particularly appealing in any way, though it did _resemble_ a sand castle.

"Five," Neiji graded and creases formed at Shino's brow in what could be assumed to be disappointment.

"It's what's on the inside that counts," the bug user stated silently. Kiba snickered a bit at his rival's score and Shino shot him a glare that went ignored.

Hinata sat nervously behind her castle. She had redness on her cheeks and was twiddling her pointer fingers together, avoiding the gaze of her kin and Chouji. Occasionally her eyes would dart over to Naruto to see if he was watching her, but was sadly disappointed as the blonde was tinkering with some last illegal touches that she would fail to bring notice to.

Neiji did not give her the same demeaning look as he gave to the other contestants. He had grown to understand her a little more over the past months after the clarification of the events surrounding his father's death. He had even gone as far as to help train her a bit in the ways of the Hyuuga in order to help her gain her father's respect… Not that he'd give her that reason.

It was a small and modest looking castle with a few surrounding walls and a mote. It was better than the others and was a little better than average. Though Neiji had come to understand the timid girl, it did not mean he went easy on her.

Chouji looked at Neiji to give the score.

"Seven," was all he said. She gave a small smile in return since her number was higher than most… It might impress Naruto and she looked his way shyly.

"Thank you…" she responded and Neiji had the urge to give her a light smile, but the better part of him rejected the notion and continued to the next participant. Shikamaru.

The boy had obviously been taking a nap and finished early, giving a smirk at his friend as he stopped in front of him.

"So?" Shikamaru said. He really just wanted to get this done with so he could go back to cloud gazing and enjoying his day off. Chouji scrutinized it. It was an average castle with the one cylindrical wall and the couple of prongs at the top.

"Typical," was all the large ninja said.

"Five," Neiji said blandly.

"Come one Chouji," Shikamaru said in a somewhat nagging voice. "Can't you cut me a little slack here?" His friend stood firm though.

"As a judge I must uphold to honesty and grade fairly," Chouji recited as if he were swearing to an oath. Shikamaru made a small noise and turned his head to the side.

"This is why I said it was all too troublesome… Damn that Ino," he said before flopping back loudly into the sand.

Now was the moment that Gaara had been waiting for. He would have liked to see what the blonde had created before the judges, but the boy had covered his castle with a towel. He stood behind it; arms cross over his chest and a confident smile on his face.

Neiji was also looking forward to see what Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja had come up with. The boy had been surprising in battle and had even won against Neiji, earning him a place in the Byakugan user's list of people worthy of remembering. Would his be great?

Neiji came face to face with the blonde who looked excited about the unveiling of his castle.

"Well?" Neiji pressured. Naruto was the last contestant and once this was done and the winner declared he could be relieved of his position as judge and be rid of the ridiculous game.

"Hmhmhm! Hahaha!" Naruto started laughing and the judges looked at Naruto strangely. "Behold!" the blonde started as he grabbed the corner of his towel, ready to unveil.

"The Uzumaki Castle Deluxe!" the towel was pulled and everyone was speechless.

Chouji had no words of criticism and no one could say a word that would describe the sight before them. Naruto held his confident face, proud of what he had accomplished. It was much better than what Sasuke had made he was sure.

Gaara hoped he was joking…

"Zero," Neiji said bluntly and Naruto almost immediately yelled back at him.

"What?! How can you say that?! Look it even has a flag!" Naruto defended his piece, pointing at what appeared to be a small flag sticking up out of the mound of sand. Gaara found it hard to believe that this had taken Naruto twenty full minutes and then some to complete. It looked more like a sand dune with a flag in it. Where he had gotten the flag was still a mystery.

"It's a lump of sand!" Neiji argued. The blonde was one of the few that could make him loose his composure and start to yell. Normally he would just give cold remarks, but arguing with the blonde ninja he called friend, only to himself, was in some sort of way a pleasant past time.

"Come on, it deserves at least a five!" Naruto tried to get Neiji to change his score. If he could at least get it to one above Sasuke's score then he would be satisfied with beating out the Uchiha. He needed victory!

"No," Neiji said, turning his back. Gaara had to agree with the Byakugan user. There were children who could do better than that… Even the _lazy eye _had procured a standard sand castle. Well… true to his name, Naruto had been unpredictable, though in this case it was a sad trait the blonde bore.

Naruto gave a look of determination and placed his hands in a familiar seal.

"Oiiroke no Jutsu!"

Suddenly there was a cloud of smoke and as it cleared, a voluptuous female blonde with nude features similar to the blonde male that had just been present not seconds before, appeared.

"Huuuu!! Neiji-kun," Naruko called to the Byakugan user, a light blush on her cheeks.

Neiji was in complete mental shock as the beautiful blonde called out to him. There was an obvious blush across his pale features, though the lights did not appear to be on in his head. What was he supposed to do about something like _that_?

"Please?" she began to plead. "Change my score? I'll let you pla-," Naruko was cut off as she was smacked in the face by an angry Sakura.

"Naruto!!" she yelled angrily at her teammate who was now back in his male form, crumpled in a weird position in the sand. "You're scaring Hinata! She doesn't need to know how big of a pervert you really are! Honestly!" she turned away, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

Kiba and Akamaru had found the situation hilarious as Hinata covered her eyes, peeking through her fingers to see if it was safe to look. Shino shot his male teammate disapproving looks.

He sat up after the initial shock of the hit died down, pulling his face out of the sand and holding the side of his cheek.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, a bit upset that he had officially lost to Sasuke now.

Gaara had never seen Naruto in such a state and was thankful that the sand covered his skin at the moment, hiding his obvious blush. Even he had to resist the urge to take a hand to hide his own eyes. Never would he want to see Naruto in such a way again… He had to agree with Sakura… He did have an inner pervert… No shame…

After Neiji had regained mental stability once more, Tenten was declared the winner, despite Naruto's protests about how it wasn't fair that the judge's teammate had won. It had seemed all too suspicious to the blonde. However, Neiji wasn't up to talking with the blonde anymore seeing as how every time he looked at the Kyuubi holder all he could see were the sexy curves of his feminine counter part.

115

The day was slowly running out of time and Naruto was finding himself in a horrible predicament. He sat in the water blowing bubbles of frustration as he reeled his mind for a plan.

Before they had left, Naruto had made a statement to Gaara… He had been confident that eventually Gaara would get in the water and as time ran shorter, the blonde boy's statement grew more of a chance of being false. To him, it felt as if he were losing a bet to the red head and that couldn't happen. He couldn't lose to Sasuke and Gaara in the same day… It just wasn't possible!

He had to get Gaara in the water somehow…

Naruto looked over at the red head who had been occupying himself in the shade of the tree line for the past few hours. Gaara had looked deep in thought all day. His eyes were normally pale enough that it was hard to notice his pupils, but even so… His green orbs looked out of focus, like something was bothering him…

Naruto wondered what ran through the red head's mind at times like these, but he knew that if Gaara wanted to tell him, he would do it on his own in time.

Naruto splashed the water a bit as he tore through his mind, trying to think of a way to get Gaara in the water. He could try and force him, but it would be difficult to do so…

Then an idea struck the conniving blonde and he snickered to himself before wading out into the deeper part of the water.

Gaara had been struggling actually… He had been struggling to clear his mind of any thoughts at all. There was just too much too soon… His decision to become the Kazekage… His ability to love and loving Naruto… It was just all too much to process and he needed a break from it…

"Oi! Gaara!" Gaara opened an eye to look out at the water. He could see his friend wading out in what was most likely deep water. "Come over here!" Naruto waved and smiled.

Gaara frowned. What was important enough that Gaara had to get up and go out over to Naruto? He really didn't want to deal with his emotions for the blonde at the moment. He just wanted to relax…

Despite his reluctance to leave his place in the grass, he felt himself rising to his feet and walking over to the edge of the shore. He looked at the water lightly sloshing on the sand before looking out to the blonde in the water.

"What is it… Naruto?" he asked. Naruto made a face as Gaara stopped at the edge.

"Come out _here_!" the blonde insisted and Gaara grimaced. This better be important…

Gaara made a hand seal, forcing chakra to the bottoms of his feet and stepping out onto the water and walking calmly on the waters surface over to Naruto. If he had been able to see the blonde's face clearly he would have noticed the look of disappointment. He had been hoping Gaara would have swam over, but that was all right… He had a back up plan.

Gaara stopped when he got to Naruto, who was grinning at him with that fox look on his face. The whiskers really enhanced the appearance and it caused him to briefly wonder if Naruto would look different without them.

"Well?"

"Man, you're difficult," Naruto grinned.

Gaara frowned and crouched low on the waters surface to look Naruto in the eyes. There was something about him and his words that made him feel wary and he had a feeling he'd be able to tell what it was by looking into his eyes.

Naruto's grin remained on his face and a sparkle in his eyes.

"Difficult?" Gaara questioned the word while examining the squinted eyes. Was that mischief he saw?

Suddenly Gaara felt a set of hands grasp his ankles and he stood up straight from the shock, looking below him only to see a second Naruto, grinning at him from beneath the water and holding him in place.

"Kage bunshin? …!" Gaara made a surprised gasp. He had been letting his guard down around the blonde too much today. To not notice a simple bunshin… This was a dangerous situation he let himself get into. If Naruto pulled him under…

"Just come in for a little dip," the real Naruto said, proud that his plan was actually working.

"Naruto!" Gaara growled dangerously low as the bunshin gave Gaara a teasing tug. His sand began to seep out of the gourd fairly quickly, though it would do little if it got wet. Instead it wrapped itself around Gaara's arms in order to resist the pull from below when it came.

"On three okay? One… Two…" Naruto began playfully counting down, blissfully unaware of his friends distress. Gaara's eyes widened as he began to panic.

"_Naruto_!!" this growl was loud and raspy, causing Naruto to open his eyes. This time he got the idea and ceased his actions. The loud yell had caused the others to look over and see what was happening.

Sasuke assessed the situation quickly and came to a conclusion. Naruto was such an idiot… The boy never thought anything through…

"Naruto! What are you doing?" Sasuke called out to the blonde who had been in shock from his friend's outburst. He looked over at his darker haired best friend.

"Don't you realize what you're about to do?" Sasuke continued when he noted he had Naruto's attention. Gaara visibly relaxed as the bunshin disappeared and he was out of harms way. In all honesty he couldn't have expected Naruto to know of his situation since he hadn't personally told him of it, though it was expected that most could make the conclusion…

"Gaara is from Suna, Naruto. He most likely doesn't know how to swim and you're about to drown him," Sasuke closed his eyes and explained for the red head. Gaara was somewhat grateful to the Uchiha for making the explanation for him, however, that wasn't the real reason. It wasn't just because he was from Suna, a place with little water to practice… It was mostly because no one had wanted to get close enough to teach him.

"What…? Are you…?" the blondes brain began to process the connection. "_Eeh_?!" Naruto turned quickly in the water to look at Gaara who was avoiding his gaze. "Are you serious? You can't swim?!" All traces of his former determination to get the red head wet completely disappeared.

Gaara didn't like this kind of attention and he felt he should be embarrassed by the situation. He gave a small nod to assure Naruto that the assumption by the Uchiha was correct.

Naruto was in near shock from his actions. He had literally almost drowned his friend without realizing it.

"You mean, you didn't know that, Naruto?" Sakura asked the blonde.

"What an idiot."

"Even kids can make that conclusion."

"Idiot."

"Dummy."

The group said to the blonde who made a pout and lowered his face up to his eyes, cooling his reddened cheeks. How could it be possible he was the only one who didn't know?!

Besides that… he really needed to apologize…

"Ano…. Gaara."

Gaara looked over at the small sound of water sloshing only to see his friend facing him, averting his squinted eyes with a guilty look on his face.

"Yes," Gaara responded quietly. Naruto opened one blue eye to look into Gaara's green ones. Gaara's eyes said a lot of things about what he felt and when Naruto looked into them, he hoped he didn't see anger. Gaara was a very fragile person despite his cold demeanor and brutal defenses.

When he looked in there though, all did not see the anger he was expecting. Instead he saw confusion and forgiveness, which made any tension he had, dissipate and a bright smile lit up his face.

"Sorry about that, Gaara. I won't do it again," Gaara's eyes widened slightly as the smile sent a warmth throughout his chest and he suddenly couldn't face his friend anymore. His skin felt as if it were on fire…

It took him a moment to respond to the apology. Forgiveness was something he has rarely offered to give. Whenever he had tried to forgive the ultimate forgiveness, it was rejected in his face… Nobody wanted the forgiveness of a monster.

"It's okay…" he found the words rolling off his tongue. Naruto gave him another smile, a laugh, and a playful splash that earned him a look. Gaara started to walk back towards the beach.

Naruto had almost unknowingly killed him… How was it that he could forgive him so easily? With just that smile…

He retreated to his earlier activities.

Kiba had watched the ordeal, Akamaru sitting in his lap. His money had been on Naruto getting a beating from the red head who he had watched mercilessly slay three ninja. However, as the red head walked away from the blonde who had received nothing more than a quick glare and a guilty conscience, he thought that maybe… Gaara was trying to be a different person? People did change… But…

Akamaru gave a confused yip and Kiba responded by patting his head.

"I know, Akamaru… It's strange to me too," Kiba assured his friend, but he gave a halfhearted smirk.

116

The sun was dipping below the horizon now and everyone was dispersing to their own respective homes, shouting out goodbyes and "see you tomorrow's". Naruto turned to Gaara after he waved goodbye to his last friend.

"Did you have fun?" Naruto asked the red head. Gaara wasn't sure about that… The day was mostly stressful and he turned his head to the side. Naruto could tell that he enjoyed being around people who weren't afraid of him though and he studied the red head for a while longer.

"You can stay with me for tonight if you want," Naruto suggested and Gaara looked at him, his face as blank as ever, though he offered a nod.

Naruto turned to walk off and Gaara subconsciously followed him. The blonde seemed to be in high spirits. Gaara felt differently about today though.

The previous night had left Gaara confused and eager for more information. However, after his own investigative observations, he felt more confused and a little bit afraid. This was all new to him. Never after his incident with Yashamaru had he thought that someone would be able to love him or that he would be left undamaged enough to return such an affection.

It was mind boggling, these revelations.

It brought him to a realm he hasn't been in for years. The last time he had been in it, it had only been briefly. When the one person he thought loved him as he said he did told him that Gaara's father was the one who sent Yashamaru to kill him, his mind became an ocean of scattered thoughts and emotions. It was a scary situation when one couldn't control or understand what they themselves were thinking…

Now he could feel himself teetering on that edge ominously, fidgeting his toes into the wake of the endless ocean. He could feel himself tensing and he repressed his frustration, trying to stay as positive as he could about this situation.

It was when he gave into urges and emotions that Shukaku came to take control. By nature, Gaara had always been a passionate person. However, due to the demon inside of himself he has had to repress his passions and therefore his emotions in order to stay in control. It didn't help that because of his inability to sleep he had to try and keep his anger in check seeing as how insomnia tended to make one irritable.

But here he was, staring into the abyss and he could almost hear Shukaku's ominous laughter. Gaara was becoming edgy.

The red head lifted his mint green eyes from the dusty roads of Konoha to look at the blonde.

Naruto…

His head was beginning to spin and he could feel the breeze flow past his face as he started to give into the temptations he had been restraining for a while now, falling into the cold water of his mind. Suffocating in thought. He wasn't ready to deal with this.

_Why can't I understand?! _

A new part of himself was awakening.

000

Next: Love Dizzy

A/N: Well, hope you liked it

6 pages of couch molesting

12 pages of theory

10 pages of waking up

30 pages of lakeside fun: )

2 pages of conclusion

I really hope this came out okay. I had to push myself SO hard to finish this chapter because I was losing interest in it when I hit into the 30's… So I hope you guys liked it anyways. I became so lazy in the end, I hope it doesn't show too badly…

Throughout that whole first snippet I wrote all I could think of was "Naruto nip." If Naruto was a cat nip Gaara would have it. Lol I dunno. I just thought of it because Gaara was molesting his poor couch with his head trying to get Naruto's scent. It's so hard for me to write these serious parts because I keep laughing as I do them. I think my writing skills have decreased as the chapters go on. Maybe it's because of my laziness? Next chapter was going to be short (Love), but I decided to combine it with chapter 8 (Dizzy) to make it longer. Unless Love starts turning out to be about 20 pages or more. So until next time!! Hope you enjoyed!!

**IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!**

I really love it when you guys review and to show my appreciation I'm going to turn part of the next chapter into an amv. I'm gonna draw out some pictures from a scene and I'm going to try and time them with a BGM from the show to make the scene. So when the next part of this comes up, expect an amv to come with it. : ) Or if I get too anxious with the story it might come up with Ch. 9 instead


	7. Love

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Yaaay!! I broke 100 reviews!! Man that always seemed like a dream of mine. Thanks to you all who contributed : ) Well I'm glad you all liked it and I know my hard work isn't going to waste. Lol This chapter is one I've been looking forward to writing forever so I hope I do the scenes justice.

I'm glad you thought I did Shino in character ;.; He was really the hardest to do. I was like … Shino… Shino… If I were Shino… What would I do? … Shino… Shino… I am a Shino… Damnit!! Lol Enjoy.

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000

"Naruto…

_His head was beginning to spin and he could feel the breeze flow past his face as he started to give into the temptations he had been restraining for a while now, falling into the cold water of his mind. Suffocating in thought. He wasn't ready to deal with this._

Why can't I understand?!

_A new part of himself was awakening._"

It was not long before the two Genin arrived back at the blonde's apartment. The travel was nearly silent as were many of them. However, Naruto couldn't help but feel the air of awkwardness that his red headed counter part was emitting this time, though he chose to ignore it. He told himself it must be a "Gaara thing."

It wasn't particularly late at night, but it was beginning to get dark as a set of gray clouds started to sneak in over the horizon, blocking the sun. Naruto looked up at the ominous sky and gave a frown. He hated it when it rained. Most of the time it just made all the bad in the world seem worse and dulled his energy. He tended to get extremely bored when it rained as well.

So it was no surprise that he felt an overwhelming sense of joy when he saw his apartment. At least he could make it light inside his room. He cast a glance at his silent friend who didn't appear to be all there at the moment and decided he hopefully wouldn't be bored either.

Gaara's eyes were hard to read at present. Naruto could tell something was bothering him, but he couldn't say what it was and he didn't expect the red head would tell him any time soon. He looked like a shell of his own body, almost as if nothing were inside him. It was a very eerie appearance and Naruto wasn't sure he liked that kind of look on Gaara. It reminded him of not too long ago when Gaara didn't give a damn about life and was mentally unstable. Not something he really wanted to remember.

Though he couldn't really complain. The day had been amazing and he was still on a natural high from all of the fun he had with his friends. He was sure tonight would be relaxing and comfortable. Gaara wasn't one for rambunctious behavior, but was really good for company when one was lonely, even if he didn't talk much. It was just nice to have him around every once in a while, Naruto decided.

The two made their way up the steps to Naruto's apartment, pausing in front of the door as the blonde fumbled with his keys, squinting at the set to determine which was the right key. Once the right one had been found he shoved it in the lock and turns it, hearing the click of the door unlocking and allowing himself inside.

Naruto didn't bother shutting the door, hoping Gaara would do it for him as he followed suit. The blonde gave a big stretch and a loud yawn as he entered the comfort of his home, making an exclamation of nothing in particular.

"Man! I'm tired," he said to break the silence in the room. He could hear the door click shut. "The sun tends to do that to me," he turned, smiling, to his red headed friend who was situating his belongings next to the door. His smile dimmed a small bit and he watched Gaara's stiff movements.

The blonde wondered if Gaara was just deep in thought… He had been introduced to a lot of people who hadn't exactly thrown cusses or shirked away from him. In fact, Naruto's friends actually seemed to be interested in Gaara. This made him a bit excited at the thought of his friends being able to hang out with the red head without Gaara feeling like a third wheel, not knowing any body and all. In reality, Naruto was more excited about Gaara being able to have good friends than anything. It brought a soft smile to his face.

Gaara lived far away, a three-day travel to another country. Naruto rarely ever saw the red head and therefore he wasn't exactly one of Naruto's best friends. However… Gaara was a demon bearer like himself… someone who was born to a fate of pain, suffering, and endless hardships. It was something the two shared that no one else could understand. It was like having a secret that only they would know about. Lips sealed. It was hard to describe…

One thing was for sure. Naruto felt drawn to Gaara because of this bond and it was Naruto's persistence that rekindled the red head's heart. There was an immense connection despite the distance between them.

Naruto hadn't realized that he had been staring until his azure eyes connected with the ice green ones belonging to his friend. The blonde felt as though he had been caught committing a crime as he studied Gaara's pale face, taking great interest in the way his brows drew up in a way that almost seemed to express that the red head was feeling some kind of remorse or sadness. There was no frown, only lips drawn into a tight line… Just his eyes…

It was strange how the shadows played on his face and Naruto couldn't help but be captivated by this display of what could be emotion. He felt privileged and mildly embarrassed that Gaara would allow such a face to be seen by the blonde.

"Are you hungry? You didn't eat much at lunch." Gaara blinked once at the statement and suddenly whatever he had been allowing Naruto to see was gone, leaving the blonde confused to if he was supposed to witness the display at all. This thought disappointed him a bit.

Instead of responding, all Gaara offered was the movement of his eyes as he switched his gaze to the floor beside him. Naruto waited a moment longer to see if the red head would make some motion with his head, but none followed. He just stood there… Staring at the floor, occasionally squinting his eyes into a glare.

"Okaaay…" Naruto gave him an odd look. Gaara was a strange character, Naruto knew that. He did and said things and acted certain ways that most people would dub as strange. Naruto accepted that. But that didn't mean that he didn't think he was still weird.

A strange smell drifted to Naruto's nostrils and he crinkled his nose.

"Well, while you go figure that out, I'm going to take a shower. Man did I work up a sweat today!" He smiled and turned to head towards the bathroom. "I stink!"

That was that.

Gaara looked up the moment Naruto turned his back to him and he watched him until the bathroom door was shut behind him.

He suddenly grimaced and drew a hand up to his head, gritting his teeth tightly and wrenching his hair by the roots. He couldn't let Naruto see him like this.

Just the very sight of the blonde was enough to send him violent shivers and uncontrollable urges to do things he had never even thought of. He had been trying so hard during their walk home to keep himself void of any thought. It was the only way to keep himself from breaking down.

He could feel himself teetering on the edge, ready to snap. He had already fallen into the ocean. He couldn't swim… He was scared.

The things that the blonde made him feel. The things that Naruto made him want to do…

It was all mixed in with the water that he was currently drowning in… He was scared.

Everything was foreign, a new world, a new light. Like nothing he had ever experience before and it scared him enough to shake his core. And when Sabaku no Gaara got scared, he got defensive.

He made a small noise to try and contain his emotions that were shaking him to the brim. He had to get them under control before Naruto came back out. He had to suppress them so the blonde wouldn't question him. He wouldn't be able to answer him calmly if he didn't… How could he answer anything pertaining to this burning desire within?

This was exhausting.

He didn't understand anything. He didn't know why he felt the way he did. He didn't know how to deal with it.

Did he accept it?

Did he fight it?

All he could do until then was suppress it. Bottle it up.

He was a volcano waiting to erupt.

What if he did the wrong thing?

What if Naruto ended up hating him for it? This scared him the most.

His pent up emotions were beginning to become overwhelming. He was tired of this. So very tired…

He felt cornered, trapped by this sea… but Gaara did not just give up and roll over. He would not just let himself drown in the abyss of carnal urges… The desire to touch… The desire to ask and listen… The desire to smile… The desire to grow beside and live like him…

These thoughts… Why was he having them? Was it because of his love? He had never felt like this before… Never wanted to do these things before…

… Did that mean he was changing?

… Was… Naruto changing him?

… What would he become? … ?!

He had wanted to change… To become the person he had always wanted to be… Loved by some and respected by all… To become someone who could be called Kazekage.

Change.

Confusion.

Love.

He didn't get it at all! It was all so frustrating and it angered him! It made his blood boil and all carnal instincts began to surface. He wanted to lash out and relieve this pressure building inside of him.

He would kick and thrash below the surface of the ocean, as futile as it was. Like an animal he would growl and claw at whatever the cause of this situation was…

…

Naruto.

He would fight it. That was it.

The door creaked open and Gaara slowly withdrew his hand, standing up straight, turning his gaze to the door as Naruto stepped out in his boxers, a towel draped around his neck as he rubbed some water from his blonde locks.

There it was again.

Gaara felt a twinge of desire to touch the blonde. To see what he felt like on his neck, his cheeks… His hair.

Naruto was the cause of all this turmoil he felt. Naruto was his problem. Naruto's effects scared him and he could feel himself recoil at this fear in defense.

Gaara sent a chilling glare at the unsuspecting blonde.

Naruto looked up at the feel of the gaze, pausing for a moment before smiling and tossing Gaara a bottle.

The red head's vision did not divert as he caught the bottle with one hand. Only then did he retract his arm to investigate what the blonde had thrown at him.

Naruto watched the red head as he examined the bottle.

"It's aloe for your sun burn," Naruto explained with a smile. "It's going to hurt later."

Gaara's head snapped up immediately, his eyes colored with guilt.

Naruto continued to smile.

What was he doing?

Gaara felt himself subconsciously swallow a large lump in his throat.

What was he _doing_?!

He had just been not moments ago all prepared to eliminate Naruto from his life forever. What was he _thinking_?! Was that even himself thinking…?

Naruto was important to him. He said things that encouraged Gaara and he did things that motivated him and helped bring him to understand what he could do with his life. He did things like _this_…

Gaara looked at the bottle.

Naruto had been concerned about him enough to give him aloe for his burns… He cared about Gaara… How could Gaara even think of such a thing? …

But it was this very reason that brought him back to the fact that Gaara could forgive Naruto for anything. Naruto drove him crazy with these foreign temptations and urges. To the point of actually wanted to cause the blonde physical harm… but with just a smile and a simple gesture of care, all of that was gone…

Why was this?

Was it because Gaara loved him? But he loved him as a friend… Friends can't always forgive for everything… Can they?

No… this intense emotion… Naruto had to be wrong.

Gaara's love went beyond admiration and lingered along the line of gratitude, thus giving birth to some new form of love.

But what did that mean? Words such as those meant nothing to Gaara. He didn't get them at all. He couldn't trust them. Not one bit.

Naruto's effects on him frustrated him. Drove him crazy. But Naruto himself calmed Gaara in some way and made him feel as though his existence was needed in this world… And then somehow this frustrated the red head that Naruto _could_ make him feel many things he didn't understand because of this, thus Naruto's effects of kindness drove him mad.

It was a frustrating loop that somehow boiled down to one simple discovery that Gaara "loved" Naruto.

Love.

It was so… aggravating!

He just wanted it to disappear! Life was so much simpler without love. Painful… but simple.

There was a loud crack and Gaara could feel the cool contents of the bottle seep into the sand on his hand. Then there was silence.

"…" Naruto registered the situation as he watched the aloe ooze out of the now broken bottle. Suddenly he shifted his shocked expression to Gaara who was shooting daggers at the blonde with his eyes. This made Naruto narrow his own blue depths in retort. "What'd you do that for?! That stuff isn't cheap you know!"

That really pissed him off. Why'd Gaara just break the bottle of aloe? And most of all why was he giving him that kind of look?

He was beginning to think he did something to offend the red head.

However, Naruto got no response as he tried to silently provoke Gaara into an explanation. Instead he gave a snort and turned around to hang up his towel.

"Fine! You're so moody sometimes," Naruto said from the bathroom before emerging. Gaara hadn't diverted his gaze any and remained in the same spot as before. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

That was a cold retreat for Naruto and for some reason it brought Gaara to his senses.

Why was he acting this way? He thought to himself as he watched the blonde's back retreat to his bed.

He watched as Naruto climbed under the lightly colored sheets bathed in silky moonlight, shifting to get comfortable before stilling. Gaara did not move until he saw the steady fall and rise off Naruto's chest.

He let his gaze drift to the bottle that had been making a puddle of goop on the floor.

Why was he being like this? He didn't want to upset Naruto… He just wanted to…

That was it.

He didn't know what he wanted to do. Not with words. Not with actions. It was just something that couldn't be described. Something burning in his chest…

It confused him to the point of anger.

…

He couldn't deal with any of this.

He didn't get it…

111

It was no surprise that when morning rolled around, Naruto had completely forgotten or had forgiven Gaara for his actions the previous night. It was just the way he was.

The blonde clicked off his alarm wearily before heaving himself up into a slouch. His nightcap was a skew and he blinked a few times, trying to coax the sleep out of his eyes. Morning at last.

His limbs felt sore from the previous day even though he had obviously done much more intensive training than volleyball, fun was tiresome on its own. It was then that he remembered he had a guest with him and he sat up straight, quickly scanning his room for his visitor who seemed none to thrilled the previous night. Perhaps the nightwalker was a bit more relaxed now that he had the whole night to cool down.

Naruto had figured that Gaara was in a mood last night due to the fact that Naruto had practically begged him with his big blue eyes to come along to a social gathering. It was bad enough that Gaara wasn't too big on events such as those, let alone events with people he didn't know.

It had been a surprising experience for the red head he was sure, considering people engaged him in activities and conversation. He should have expected Gaara to be a little on edge and had felt a tiny bit guilty for snapping at the other boy. It had only been a bottle of aloe.

He did not spot the other immediately, but eventually his eye landed upon the emotionless face of his friend. Pulling off his nightcap, Naruto graced the other's presence with a warm smile.

"Mornin'!" He received no answer and let the smile drop a little to slight curves of his mouth. Gaara was always quiet, but the silent red head didn't even make a motion to acknowledge that Naruto had risen from his slumber.

To the blonde, it appeared Gaara had fallen asleep with his eyes open… Or maybe Gaara was sulking about how Naruto snapped at him the previous night… The red head was fairly sensitive towards such things the blond had concluded some time ago.

A small wave of guilt passed through the blonde.

Naruto found himself throwing off his blankets and kicking his feet off the bed into a standing position. He walked over to Gaara in a casual and unsuspecting manner and began talking to his friend.

"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling at you last night. But since you broke my bottle of aloe, we'll call it even?" the blonde offered out his hand as a truce and sent a smile his way. Naruto had been fully expecting Gaara to ignore the hand and just give one of his looks to the side that meant that Naruto was forgiven. Instead, Naruto found himself in a stare down with the green-eyed boy who was currently narrowing his eyes at Naruto's smile.

A small wave of sand appeared out of nowhere and slapped Naruto's hand away, leaving the blonde a little taken back. Naruto eyed his wronged hand before giving Gaara a strange look.

There was something different in his eyes this morning… It wasn't the same kind of look that Naruto appreciated in Gaara. The one that lets him know that's he's not alone in the world. No…

This look was colder and full of hatred… and something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was one that sent chills down his spine and created a sense of unease throughout his body all the way to his fingertips, since he had known it so well. The look of a misunderstood six-year-old boy who hated the world he had been thrown into along with its people.

Naruto looked Gaara up and down, taking in the rigidity of his posture… his unblinking eyes and "on edge" demeanor. He almost looked like a cornered animal… That other emotion… Could it be fear?

Was Gaara afraid of something?

That would explain his actions. Gaara was an emotionally stunted child, so whatever he felt he reacted to in the way a child would see fit. He had never been taught any different nor how to handle emotions in a reasonable and mature manner.

It was evident in Gaara's fighting style as well…

Sabaku kyuu… The desert coffin. Naruto knew it was meant to kill whatever was upsetting or annoying the red head. Outstretching a hand and squeezing his fist. It seemed a very childlike mannerism to Naruto. Gaara wanted something gone, so he would use a hand signal to express what he wanted… and the sand would do his bidding.

When a child wants something, they use their hands to express their wants and needs, as does the red head standing in front of Naruto.

Yes, Gaara was inept in the field of dealing with emotions, but that was fine because Naruto would help him through it. After all, Gaara was his friend.

Naruto squinted his eyes at Gaara, giving a quick examination before giving the red head nothing more than a simple shrug before walking away. As Gaara's friend he would respect his privacy on the matter… though it was _incredibly_ difficult to keep his mouth shut.

What in the world would scare Gaara of all people? It was juicy detail about the redhead that he was trying desperately to suppress the urge to get.

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it."

Naruto decided to ignore the redhead who was still glaring daggers at the blonde as he moved into the kitchen, searching for something his sensei would consider a "normal" breakfast.

Poking his head into the refrigerator, Naruto found a half-gallon of milk and spontaneously decided he would have cereal… If he had the cereal… Or maybe he would just have ramen and a glass of milk. Yeah, that sounded like a good meal.

Quickly, he checked the expiration date on the milk. It was only one day passed the date. It was probably still good and so he poured himself a glass and proceeded to heat up some morning ramen.

Gaara silently watched Naruto with his eyes, making sure to keep the blonde at a distance.

For Naruto, it may have seemed as though Gaara would have had time to settle his thoughts during the night seeing that Naruto had done so in his sleep. However, the blonde was completely unaware of the eight or nine hours of inner turmoil that Gaara had gone through during the night.

Currently, he was still at a stalemate with himself.

This new realization of love, the desire to be Kazekage, and everything that Naruto made him feel… It all brought on a bunch of emotions that he was unsure of how to deal with.

Originally, he had all but been consumed by them, drowning in a horrible sea of things that he didn't understand. It had brought him to a depressed state of being, something that he didn't enjoy being in, so he fought it.

He struggled against that sea, trying to understand what these emotions meant to him and it seemed unfathomable. How did one characterize something they could not see, but only feel? Something with words they did not understand?

Then sometime after Naruto had fallen asleep, leaving Gaara to admire his sleeping form… all hell broke loose.

Floating in that water, he suddenly could feel a familiar presence that was not welcome. The amber eye below him, watching him joyously as he swam for his life, left no room for misconception.

Shukaku.

Emotions were not welcome among the redhead mainly because of this problem. Gaara had never known how to differentiate between his own thoughts and Shukaku's desires since he and the raccoon demon were one and the same from Gaara's birth. Gaara had neither any instruction on what he was feeling at the time.

Shukaku was a wild spirit and loved to cause havoc and be a selfish being. So whenever Gaara would have problems understanding what caused him pain and joy, he would go into a period of break down, to try and understand all of this, leaving him vulnerable to Shukaku's wake.

He suppressed a shudder as he could almost, and perhaps he did, hear the funky chuckle of the demon waiting within.

Shukaku would not pass up the chance to be allowed one second of freedom and so this lead Gaara to the conclusion that he had to keep a distance from Naruto for the time being.

It was bad enough being in the blonde's presence. Everything he was doing was driving Gaara nuts and down into the river of confusion and ecstasy. The boy made him happy, that he was sure of. Why Naruto smiled at him and why Gaara could so easily forgive him was still a mystery.

This confusion that came with him was dangerous though. If Gaara slipped just once with his mental battle, even in his exhausted state of mind, it would be all over for Naruto. Shukaku's bloodlust and love to torment his red headed host would win.

Gaara didn't want that… He wouldn't be able to bear the loss of his only true friend…

He could very well just leave to get Naruto off his mind, but that was the problem. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to be around Naruto like all the others in Konoha and he had to admit he was jealous of the Uchiha and the lot for being privileged enough to see the blonde on a daily basis.

Though Gaara was not of Konoha, nor would he ever leave Suna. He had something to prove there and something to live for there. Konoha would serve no such purpose other than to provide him with the comfort that is Naruto.

Gaara eyed the blonde as he munched happily away at the ramen and drank his milk, unaware at what was going on in his friend's mind.

The clink of wood on porcelain signaled the end of breakfast and Naruto stood to place his dishes in the sink for later.

"Did you want something to eat, Gaara?" Naruto asked, playing host. He was fairly certain the red head wouldn't eat. He never really saw him eat outside a few nibbles of something here and there and he wondered vaguely if Gaara could eat his sand in place of food… It would be handy when food was scarce, but probably not possible without coughing up some dirt first.

Gaara's eyes homed in on Naruto, giving him a small glare. "Not if all you have is that soggy block of noodles you call ramen," he all but hissed at the blonde.

Naruto was sure his heart would stop and he felt his soul deflate little as his most precious ramen was criticized and stomped upon. Talking poorly about his favorite food was the same as talking badly about Naruto himself as far as the blonde was concerned.

His face tightened a bit at the comment and he forcibly twitched the corner of his mouth into a smile, despite the obvious vein of annoyance protruding from his forehead.

Gaara's harsh tone hadn't exactly gone over well with his easily riled nature and he had to tell himself to be patient with the redhead. He needed to be understanding, though hard as it was. Gaara was being a real jerk ever since the previous night. What with the broken bottle of aloe, the glares and physical taboo, and now the harsh comments… Gaara was becoming a regular asshole.

"Fine. I have to get some stuff at the market anyway. We'll find you some food," Naruto forced himself to say without exploding on the redhead.

Gaara was torn at this point. He wanted desperately to just simply enjoy his time with Naruto, but seeing as how the blonde had made Gaara come to love him, that was nearly impossible. The redhead needed to pry into the subject that he really didn't understand. It was just the way he was and unfortunately his actions had come with consequences concerning the possible pending death of his object of affection.

Gaara did not respond and instead watched Naruto pull on his clothes for the day, his normal orange jumpsuit. The color aggravated Gaara at the moment.

The blonde headed for the door, pausing once to see if the red head was going to follow. Gaara stood with his arms crossed across his chest, moving forward rigidly following the blonde out the apartment door and into the streets of Konoha.

112

Naruto was becoming increasingly frustrated with Gaara. The whole walk through the market was tense. On several occasions Naruto had attempted to strike up conversation with the redhead, which only resulted in the response of either silence, the most common of the two, or a rude remark.

Gaara was generally quiet during conversation, but due to the nature of the circumstance, Naruto found this to piss him off greatly and despite all of it, the blonde continued to be hospitable to the redhead.

Naruto had picked up another bottle of aloe in the market and had found some food in the store that Gaara hadn't refused or ignored. It had been quite the trial of his patience, which was wearing thin by now.

The clouds of the previous night had done nothing to disperse, still giving that ominous air and promise of rain. It was muggy and the air was thick and quiet. Not many were outside in the gloom hovering over Konoha.

The pair were climbing the stairs back to Naruto's apartment in silence. Naruto was not keen on breaking this silence seeing as how all other attempts had brought his friend into an even fouler mood, however the time was getting late and he had to meet Team 7 out at the training grounds soon.

When reaching the door, Naruto turned to Gaara. The redhead stared at his host with sharp eyes, intensified by the rings surrounding them.

The blonde hesitated, pausing to lick his lips. His heart was jumping for reasons he couldn't quite explain. Instinct was telling him that something big was about to happen and he wasn't sure if it was good or bad.

"Hey… You can use my kitchen to make yourself something. I need to get going. Sakura-chan's waiting for me," Naruto explained, not being able to help the silly voice that escaped him at the mention of his crush. Hopefully training with Kakashi and the others would relieve him of the frustration Gaara was making him endure.

Gaara couldn't stop the words that flowed from his mouth next and he instantly regretted them.

He hadn't really meant them. In fact he did not mind the girl he had just insulted at all.

He was annoyed at the fact that Naruto was going to be leaving him alone for a little while to be around someone other than him. Someone else that Naruto obviously "loved." Gaara had been struggling to keep himself sane just to be around the blonde. He wanted Naruto to be around him, yet he couldn't blame the blonde at the moment if Naruto wanted to leave. Gaara wasn't being exactly sociable.

He was jealous.

He was on edge all day and night and he was becoming irritated by this whole mental situation he found himself in. But the look on the blonde's face as soon as the last word left his lips led him to believe that this particular topic that had been bothering him for some time would soon be ending.

"Why are you so intent on seeing that twit? You know she has no interest in you," Gaara said, looking to the side in a subconscious fit of guilt… trailing off in his words.

The low rumble of thunder in the distance was drowned out by the intense silence that hung between the two standing outside Naruto's apartment door.

Gaara could feel the rage building inside his friend at his words. Why was he intentionally making Naruto angry?

Naruto clenched his fists tightly, his eyes obscured by the shadow of his bangs. Gaara could not will himself to look at the blonde, suddenly afraid at what his words might have caused. He felt his heart clench a little as the corner of his eye caught a shudder in the blonde's firm stature.

Suddenly, Gaara felt very small. He knew he had done wrong and he was afraid of what would come. The words spoken were not his right to say. They would undoubtedly anger Naruto. They would drive him away. Make him hate Gaara…

…

Gaara didn't want that… and yet the monster that he was made him say things like that.

"What is wrong with you?" Naruto said quietly and slowly. Gaara had stepped over the line. It was one thing to be rude to Naruto. To mock him. To ignore him and just be a downright bastard… But when Gaara insulted one of his important people…

And yet it was so unlike Gaara…

They had been making so much progress… Gaara was becoming more able to talk to other people and interact with his family… He was opening up and was comfortable around Naruto…

So why this?

Why the sudden change? It didn't make sense…

Gaara could hear the tremble of rage in his voice and he could feel his heart cracking. Why was this happening this way? Gaara had come to Konoha to figure things out. To become closer to Naruto. To support him and enjoy his company… Not drive him away.

And yet… How did it come to this?

The anticipation and anxiety of the situation was eating away at the Shukaku holder. So many possibilities and words could come out of those lips that made him want to feel. They all played in his head in those split seconds before the climax of the moment hit, causing him to live a thousand painful possible lives.

The tension was rising. Gaara bit his lip, head still turned. What would he say? Should he say anything?

"What do you know… About Sakura-chan and me?! Huh?! That's _none_ of your business!" Naruto finally snapped his blue eyes that reflected the piercing beam of the lightning that struck nearby.

Why?

Gaara's life from birth until this very moment flashed before his eyes. He saw the faces of his father and Yashamaru. Remembered the pain… The blood and the assassins that followed… His brother and sister… The Chuunin exam… Naruto's determined face and his utter defeat… The first smile from the blonde… His eye awakening punch… The sleep over… His realization of his desire to become Kazekage and his love for his friend… Naruto's sleeping and smiling face… That ray of sunshine and hope.

How was it now at this?

Gaara couldn't take it anymore. All the pent up emotions. All the sudden desires and nothings that he couldn't understand… It was all too much for him to bear and he could hear his scream echo throughout the barren streets of Konoha.

"_I don't know_!!" Naruto paused in shock, his anger forgotten as he watched his friend snap his hands up to his head, pressing them into his red locks and pulling at his hair. His dark ringed eyes were closed and his brows were scrunched up in pain.

"I don't _know_… !!" Gaara said a little more quietly. He really didn't.

He didn't know anything about this situation.

He didn't know why he had said those things.

Nor did he know why he felt them.

All he knew he was sure of… That warm and light feeling that spread throughout him, that inspired him and made him want to live righteous… That made him strive for physical contact and meld with the blonde… That made him feel like a person…

What was that called again?

Oh yeah. Love.

"I just love you…" _Whisper_.

It had shocked them both and there was a long time for either could say anything about what was set before them.

Naruto could only stare at his friend in disbelief… He felt his lips move to question his words, but found that no sound came from them.

Of course he knew Gaara loved him… He loved him as a friend he was sure, but… The manner of which this confession had just been expressed to him caused him to believe that perhaps Gaara felt just a little bit more than what Naruto had expected… Still…

It was hard to process that: Gaara _loved_ Naruto.

Gaara loved Naruto… He was in _love_ with Naruto…

Somehow… with all that has been going on with Gaara… It somehow made sense…

Naruto couldn't recall a time ever in his life where someone had said those words to him. "I love you," they were precious to him. To think that Gaara of all people would be the first person to ever tell the orphan that he was loved…

He was in shock.

Gaara felt his fingers lose their grip on his hair and he tried to process what he had just initiated. A confession of feelings.

He had never felt an anxiety so great. His insides twisted and turned into a Celtic knot. He felt pierced and vulnerable. He wanted to reach inside and pull out this feeling… He didn't like it… It made him nervous… He was afraid of what would come… Why was he afraid though?

"What… What did you say?"

Naruto's voice broke the awkward silence, snapping Gaara from his tortured thoughts. Gaara felt the pressure of Naruto's gaze and it took all his strength and courage to dare a glance at his friend.

It was one look. One look was all it took and Gaara felt himself crumble as he met eyes that were just as confused as his own. He realized that once again… he is not alone.

Seeing as how Naruto had no window to read his thoughts, Gaara had more of a grasp on the situation than Naruto. Green eyes danced with azure and Gaara felt he owed the blonde an explanation.

But how could he do that when he himself didn't even understand it? He had just blurted it out before… but what kind of love did he feel for Naruto? … He needed to clarify this to himself and to his blonde haired friend who waited for his answer.

In friendship and family love, you care greatly for one another… but he wanted more than that.

In marriage love there was great care and formalities to be met… but he didn't want all the formalities.

It was so hard to decide what he felt for the blonde. He just knew.

…

He just loved Naruto.

… And then a thought struck him…

Did anything else have to matter?

He didn't want a set of bells and a large cake. No rings to be exchanged. He didn't want to just "hang out." He just wanted the blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes that were so full of life despite the things that had happened in the past to be his.

He just wanted to be around him.

He wanted to be close to him… He wanted him to see him smile… He wanted to watch him laugh… He wanted to watch him become the greatest he could be and surpass all… He wanted to help him live that dream and live it with him.

He wanted to love Naruto.

He just loved Naruto…

With this sudden revelation in his life, Gaara felt himself swarm with a newfound confidence and he stood up tall.

No childishness. He would not cave. He would not give Shukaku the chance.

He had to say it now. For once in the past few months of this agonizing confusion that Naruto had stirred within him, he felt confident in what he was about to say. He truly believed it. He was no longer in that ocean, far away from Shukaku's grasp.

"I love you, Naruto."

Then it clicked. Naruto stared into Gaara's pale eyes, studying them… Passing through the emotions that floated by idly. The confidence that was shown in Gaara's suddenly tall form did not betray his words and Naruto felt trapped.

What was one supposed to think in this kind of situation? He had honestly not expected this argument to turn into a love confession.

The most troubling thing about the situation was that Naruto was fairly certain that he did not return those feelings towards Gaara… He had honestly never thought of his friend in that light before…

But looking into those eyes that have seen so much pain… endured so much heartbreak… To see them brimming with an emotion that had been given a second chance… It was hard.

This was Naruto's friend… He didn't want to hurt Gaara's feelings, but… He couldn't lie to him…

And yet it was still too sudden for him to make a decision. Why?

He couldn't quite place a finger on it, but he had always felt more connected to Gaara than anyone he knew on an emotional level… When Gaara felt pain, he felt pain… He could understand the damaged and the damaged could understand. It was a mutual relationship that went beyond friendship… So much further that no one would ever be able to understand… No one except the two…

"Gaara…" was all Naruto could get out at the moment. It meant Naruto was thinking, that he was taking the redhead seriously. To Gaara that signaled hope… Hope to be saved from what he feared, though he couldn't remember the name.

Naruto was having a hard time with this… He needed to make a decision about this, now.

Gaara was… Gaara. His friend, Gaara. His _male_ friend, Gaara.

Naruto had never in his life found himself attracted to another male. He was not gay, nor was he bisexual. He did not think Gaara was gay either. He didn't think Gaara really paid attention to genders, let alone think about love.

Naruto had no problems with anyone who happened to be that way though and if they were a good friend of his he would support them, though never truly understanding it himself…

It just wasn't the way he was.

And here was his male friend whom he had a deep connection with, who just confessed his feelings of romantic love towards him…

What was he supposed to say to that? …

What did Gaara expect him to say?!

Deep down inside Naruto knew that he didn't love Gaara in that way… Yet he was giving this a chance… He was thinking it through… Why?

Because he _cared_ about Gaara… Gaara was his friend, a friend that needed him and one that he needed in return… He didn't want to hurt him… It made this so much more difficult…

"Gaara… I…" Naruto fumbled with the words. Gaara looked on hopefully. He wasn't sure why it would matter whether or not Naruto would return this love, but his silly emotions said that it would. He didn't want to believe that…

Things would still be the same between them regardless of Naruto's decision… Right?

Naruto had to say it. He had to say it now or he never would.

He shook his head to the side once, clenching his teeth and bringing out the courage to respond to this complicated situation.

"Gaara, I love you…" Naruto looked at Gaara with hard eyes. Gaara felt himself lift from the ground a little, a flutter in his chest… Everything seemed so much brighter just then.

Though it was short lived as Naruto continued. "Just…" Gaara suddenly felt his heart and stomach drop heavily to the ground as he watched Naruto's lips move slowly as the blonde closed his eyes… a pained look on his face.

"It's not the same…"

Silence.

Gaara could swear his heart would fail and he brought a hand up to grasp it through his clothing.

What was this pain?

Naruto opened his eyes a little to see Gaara's reaction.

…

It was strange to see. Gaara's pale eyes seemed to receive and reflect nothing. He did not look hurt by Naruto's words other than the small hand clasping tightly at his chest… and yet that essentially was the worst sign Naruto could have received.

He had always been able to tell what Gaara was feeling by looking into his eyes… But now… they just looked, broken.

Naruto could feel his heart break a little with his friend.

Gaara had been through so much pain and suffering… So much longer than he had… And just when the red head had decided to give love a second chance, Naruto had to smash it back in his face.

But it was for the best… Naruto could lie to Gaara about something like this. Naruto didn't love Gaara that way and that was that. He hoped Gaara would understand that…

So it was strange…

Naruto could feel the awkwardness of the situation rise. He needed to talk. He needed Gaara to say something. Do something, anything to ease his guilt.

"Well!" he started out happily, not truly believing in his own happiness, nor the words to follow. "We can still be friends as long as you don't mind," Naruto smiled forcibly. Honestly, he wasn't sure if it would be the same… It was weird knowing a friend of yours likes you as more than a friend… but even so… Naruto would accept Gaara as such… He was more worried that Gaara would not be able to face Naruto the same way…

With a connection like theirs it would be harder too… When two people are close in mind and spirit and one is rejected… the fall is bad, but the friendship is also tested.

Naruto could feel something within him break a little as he watched Gaara stand in front of his door, looking lost and completely vulnerable.

"I really don't want to lose you as a friend because of this…" Naruto said some more. He spoke the truth. Gaara was an interesting character and he was someone that could understand Naruto. Someone Naruto could talk with about things other than becoming the Hokage or ninja techniques… He didn't want to lose that connection…

The words went right through Gaara.

Naruto bit his lip. The situation was too tense… He needed to get out of there…

He took a small retreating step backwards…

"Well," he started. "I need to get going… Kakashi-sensei and the others are waiting for me…" Naruto gave one last look at his friend.

How was he going to deal with this?

"Ja!"

Naruto turned on heel suddenly and sped off down the stairs and into the streets, as far away from Gaara as he could.

The moment Naruto had left, Gaara found himself snapped from his mindless thoughts, eyes refocusing and searching for the blonde as he ran down the stairs.

The reality of the situation hit him hard and he felt himself go weak in the knees, falling forward to support himself on his hands, retching his stomach empty.

What was this?

The last bit of bile dribbled from his mouth as a slight, cold wind brushed him from behind, easing the sick feeling from him.

What was this?

He took a hand and gently wiped his mouth with the back of it.

What was this? …

His chest felt tight… constricted. His stomach felt sick and nauseas…

Instinctually he found himself holding onto his sides as he knelt on the ground, huddled over pathetically. He felt defeated, exhausted… What a sight he must've been…

Sabaku no Gaara. Defeated by love.

This pain was unlike any kind of physical pain… It was hollow and passionless. There was no adrenaline… Only empty sorrow and pain.

A wound of the heart. One to add onto many…

What was this? …

This was why he avoided love. He had forgotten… Naruto had made him forget. That _smile_ had made him forget…

He would go home… His mystery had been solved… He didn't want to be bothered anymore…

…

Why had it been like this? Something wet trailed its way down his cheek and he subconsciously brought a hand up to touch it before pulling it away to stare at the moisture.

Even a monster was human to these emotions he supposed. It was rather humbling.

What was this…?

…

Ah, yes... rejection.

Another drop hit his face and Gaara lifted his head towards the sky, allowing many more to cleanse him for some time.

000

Next: Dizzy

A/N: Man this was so hard to write. ;.; Confused Gaara's thoughts made me confused… I can't actually see what I'm typing now 'cause it's about 3 AM or something and I'm sick so lol Hopefully I didn't leave too many typos. Actually I'm more worried about this making sense O.o :no confidence:

I decided not to combine it with Dizzy because I kinda wanted to leave you guys w/ this part for a while before going into the craziness that is Dizzy. Lol XD Well hope you guys enjoyed. Stay tuned for Dizzy whenever it comes out. Sand sibs cuteness in that chapter I promise : ) Actually sand sibs is one of the main reasons I wrote this fic XD

As for the AMV… I'm working on it. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would since I'm drawing out all the pictures so it'll be out before the fic is over. It's a scene from this chapter though.

In the mean time, I drew a scene for this from the first sleepover arc. It's on my DA account. My name on it is SirLadyKastor (don't ask lol) and I titled the pic, "Butt Bomb" because I absolutely loved shintas1st's phrase. XD


	8. Dizzy

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Yeah, the last chapter was much shorter than the others Still was almost 30 pgs but lol This one is definitely longer I promise. AND you get 11 pages of Sand Sibs fluff which I enjoyed writing thoroughly I might add : ) Hopefully it helps lessen the angst/drama that was the last chapter XD Enjoy!!

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000

Temari bit her nails as she stood in the hallway, watching her younger brother knock on their youngest siblings' door. She listened to his frantic coaxing, but her brother received nothing but silence from the other side.

It had only been moments ago when Gaara had stormed into their home, quickly kicking off his shoes into a corner somewhere in the main entrance of their little home. Immediately Kankurou and Temari had known something was wrong. Their brother was a fairly neat, orderly, and quiet person.

She was getting worried now. The burns on him didn't look that great, but it was more so… She couldn't seem to put her finger on it, but it almost seemed as though he were _upset_ about something. Not even just frustrated at a person, but genuinelyupset.

_Temari and Kankurou were watching a movie on their television they had rented. It was really just Kankurou watching it since his blonde sister had lost interest in it some time ago and now found herself doing a crossword puzzle next to him._

_It was one of their days off and they were enjoying it. Since Gaara was a member of their team and had currently gone on one of his escapades to Kazekage knows where for how long, Baki deemed it appropriate for the remaining sibling duo to take a few days off while waiting for their youngest to return._

_When Temari had found the note the morning after Gaara had left, she panicked. Her little brother was not the most adept at letting people know where he was or what he was doing, when he would be back… But she supposed considering how he used to be, she should be thankful he was considerate enough to leave her a note._

_Kankurou had calmed her down a little bit by reassuring her that Gaara could take care of himself. Recently, ever since Gaara had been more civil towards the two, Temari had become very bold with the red headed child and had even taken upon the motherly role of older sister with Gaara. It was something she had always wanted to do to him, but had never really gotten a chance or was allowed to._

_When the sound of the door burst open and slammed shut, followed by the sound of two dull thuds against a wall, they both jumped a little, startled by the sudden loudness of the noise. It was then that it clicked that Gaara was back home. However, his entrance was highly uncharacteristic for him. _

_Yes, the door had been slammed once or twice when he had been annoyed and at those times the two oldest sand siblings would leave the house for a little while. But not once had Gaara ever _thrown _his shoes off. _

_Sometimes Temari and Kankurou would discuss Gaara's near compulsive habits to put everything away nice and neat, just the way it was. The most probable reason was because Gaara had the time to do stuff like that considering he was awake every moment of every day. _

_So when they heard the shoes come off, the pause button on the movie was hit and both heads turned around to see their brother storm by the entrance to the room and towards his own bedroom. _

_Not two seconds later were both siblings on their feet and running towards the brother, hoping to catch him before he entered the confines of his room. They had been alarmed not only by his behavior, but also the noticeable redness on his face, hands, and feet. _

_Their concern rose when they had reached his door and found it locked and their brother silent. _

And so here was Temari, watching her brother repetitively ask Gaara if everything was all right. And with each question and with each silent reply, she felt her heart break a little.

Temari was not one to typically become saddened or worried. She was a strong and proud person, very dominant in nature. But when it came to her family or whatever she had left of it, she was extremely sensitive.

Her two brothers meant the world to her, even if one was a jerk and the other had only recently come to consider them related. So when one came storming home with sunburns all over his face and hands and an overall disheartened appearance, she became worried. The burns indicated that Gaara had taken the sand barrier down for some time, causing her to briefly let the train of thought that questioned what her little brother had been doing, to flow by.

Her eyes glistened as she watched Kankurou who bore a pained expression on his face. It hurt her to see Gaara upset… but it hurt her more to watch Kankurou like this.

Kankurou…

Kankurou had been so hell bent on getting Gaara to behave and act like a brother after his incident with their uncle, Yashamaru. That was when they had learned the truth of things from their father, about Gaara. Temari had tried to hold everyone together, but Gaara was too far gone from them at that point and was not wanted by their father. Kankurou had turned from their father in hopes of Gaara's acceptance and forgiveness for their ignorance and neglect.

Those days had torn Temari apart, watching her family fall apart like that.

Their mother had died after giving birth to Gaara, making relations tense for everyone. Their father had kept Gaara away from Temari and Kankurou and left him in the care of their uncle for six years. Never saying why. All she knew was that Gaara had a special power and that it was a fearsome power. She had been a little nervous about the idea of her youngest sibling being dangerous.

When Gaara killed their uncle, everything came into a whole new light for Temari. That was when Kankurou had found out that their father had imprisoned the Shukaku demon inside their dear little brother as an experimental weapon.

Gaara grew apart from everyone in their family. Temari remembered the few times when she had seen him before then, how lonely he used to look and how much he wanted to be with their father. She had never really understood how the owner of the sweet little face could be as dangerous as she had been told. After the time of Yashamaru's death, she was able to see that Gaara wanted nothing to do with their father, Temari, or Kankurou.

Kankurou became enraged with their father's actions and had sought out Gaara to redeem himself for years lost as an older brother, but Gaara rejected his efforts horribly. Kankurou went into the situation blind and came out with a new realization that Gaara had no intentions of being sociable to anyone about the circumstances. As the years went on he had to resort to a little bit challenging means as she recalled during the Chunnin exams. Kankurou had tried to scold some sense into Gaara, but again was met with no fruits.

Kankurou had seemed so lost and dejected. She remembered times where he would talk to her about how he wanted to be with Gaara, the ideals that he had for the two of them being _normal_ brothers.

Kankurou loved Gaara so much… he had so much faith that one day Gaara would see them in a new light and they would be able to be a family someday. He would do anything for his little brother…

And as much as she lost respect for her father after that day, she had still loved him and wanted to be around him. She had wanted to be near Gaara for his sake and to be there for Kankurou when he needed her. She wanted them to be a family that loved each other.

She wanted her mom back…

But that wasn't going to happen. There was no one but herself to keep the loose ties together.

It was a heavy burden, but it was worth the try.

Now that her father was gone and out of the picture, the three had felt some sort of tension lift from their shoulders. It was like they were suddenly allowed to do something they had never done before and when the two oldest sand siblings had lost hope of their youngest brother ever joining in what was left of her family, he had begun to open up to them ever so slightly.

It scared her and worried her as to what could be bothering her youngest brother. The overwhelming desire to help him was making her jittery.

Watching her other younger brother call out helplessly to Gaara made her heart wrench a little as their fragile family lines were tested.

She needed to leave the area for just a moment and decided it would be best to get her younger brother something to treat his burns with. She ran up the stairs suddenly to fetch the aloe from the bathroom.

…

Gaara grit his teeth at the stinging pain on his face, hands, and feet… but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt in his heart…

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there in the rainy, empty streets of Konoha before wearily getting to his feet and making his way through the gates of the leaf village. It had seemed like hours…

As he traveled he felt heavy physically from the rain that soaked his clothes and the wet sand that clung to his skin and sloughed off his face and hands. Yet he also felt heavy in spirit. He hadn't been sure initially of what had just happened. The pain and realization of Naruto's rejection had not settled in at that point.

As he travelled and as the rain lifted the closer he got to the desert edge on his journey home, the more things settled in.

It was a strange feeling. He felt strangely calm for what had just happened. Heavy… but calm. It was when the sky lifted and the sun beamed down on his face revealing the familiar sight of the sandy desert, his home that it sunk in.

It was then that the heavy weight clenched his heart tightly in a vice like grip, crushing its futile attempts to frantically pump. He balled up his fists, allowing his nails to press into his palms creating small angry crescent marks in the flesh.

The pain was incredibly familiar. It was a pain that he had tried to forget many times though it was too powerful and overwhelming to rid himself of it completely. It remained in his thoughts, influencing his actions and responses, causing him to lead a sad existence. That is… until Naruto came around.

Gaara swore he could still feel the bruise on his forehead, remembering the day that had changed his life. The person who had changed his life…

Naruto had given him so much to work for, so much to live for. He had inspired him and taught Gaara to do something he hadn't done in a long time. Love.

Gaara felt his face soften at the thought of loving Naruto. It made his intestines twist and bind; a passion filled feeling spreading through the veins in his chest.

What made him think that after giving Gaara all of that, after allowing the redhead to start over his life, that Naruto would willingly want to be involved with Gaara as more than a friend?

The blonde had never shown any signs of loving Gaara in that manner. Hell, even though Naruto hadn't remembered, he _told _Gaara that he loved him as a friend. The words had left his lips.

What made him think that Naruto might love him more than that? Was it because they had a bond? That they both held demons in their bodies? That meant nothing for love.

He was foolish. He was stupid for allowing himself to hope for such a thing. He had spent this whole time trying to figure out what he felt for Naruto, but in actuality, he felt that he always knew he had loved Naruto. He loved him so much, practically worshipped the ground he walked on… but didn't want to allow himself to become vulnerable to this love.

He knew Naruto wouldn't return his feelings. He knew it wouldn't be accepted… and yet he had hoped.

He was stupid…

He was _so_ stupid…!

Snapping his eyes open, Gaara let out a howl of rage, sadness, and frustration. It coiled in his heart and he did not let it cease until the walls of his throat felt raw.

There was so much pent up feeling left over in his body. It needed an escape.

_He_ needed an escape.

Making a feral sweep with his arm a tsunami of sand rose into the air, smashing down onto the desert ground, sifting and swirling… rising and falling.

He made a sweep with the other arm. And then another. And another, rearranging the topography of the desert. Screaming out his pain. Ridding himself of whatever he could, the only way he could…

The screams turned to helpless cries that made him feel weak and powerless. It made him embarrassed that a creature such as himself could be groveled to this point. Falling to his knees and balling his fists, he pounded the sand beneath him furiously.

Why?!

Why?!

Why did it turn out like this?!

Why did he ever think for a second that he was meant to have a happy ending? That just didn't work in Gaara's world… It never did.

Just when he thought he could be happy again, that hope was snatched away once more, like some cruel joke.

It took him a while to calm himself down again to stand up and proceed through the desert. These thoughts ringing fresh in his mind.

The sun beat down on him though he had to remove part of his sand armor. Naruto had been right when he said that the sun burns would hurt later on. The sand shifting on his skin had begun to irritate it, causing him to drop the sand shield on his skin… He needed to hurry up now that he was vulnerable.

When Suna had been in sight, Gaara had never been more pleased to see his home. Though the people scattered when he walked through the entrance to his village, he felt a little more at peace… It felt like he was no longer in harm's way…

Until a thought struck him and he found himself very worried.

What had he done?

His feet had planted firmly in the sand and he felt himself rigid and his skin ran cold.

This whole trip back to Suna he had been thinking of nothing more than the rejection that he had faced, the pain in his heart, that he had completely forgotten about what he had _done_.

He had confessed his _love_ to the one person he thought could ever understand him. His _only_ friend…!

What was Naruto going to think about this? Would he find it too strange to even talk to Gaara again? Would Naruto want to be friends with him…?

What had he done?!

This was even more painful than the rejection of his love… He could deal with that… but… if Naruto decided that he never wanted to see Gaara again because of this. That it would be too awkward between the two…

He couldn't even bare to think of a life like that… He didn't want to go back to the time before Naruto… He couldn't… He had so many things he wanted to do now, he just couldn't abandon his new life… his second chance…

But without Naruto… could he do it?

Did he even _want_ to lead a life without Naruto there?

Gaara could feel the bile rising in his throat and an overwhelming sickness swim in his chest. This was not only a painful thought… It scared him. It scared him to no end.

And suddenly he felt his feet carry him as fast as they could, all the way to his home. He did not want to be bothered by anything, running into his home, kicking off his shoes and locking himself in his room.

And so here he was… sitting in the darkness of his room, listening to his siblings bang on his door and call out to him, though he would not answer as he let his mind wander to the outcome of the fate he had just sealed himself into.

He didn't want to talk to the two outside his door. Though…

He glanced at the light coming out from beneath the door…

The knocking was becoming annoying.

…

Kankurou knocked on Gaara's door hopelessly, knowing all too well that he would not receive an answer. And yet he tried. Something was bothering his little brother and the way that Gaara had been acting recently gave him the courage to pursue this without being killed. Threatened maybe, but not killed.

Either way, it would not make a difference. Whatever was bothering his poor emotionally abused brother… he would try and fix it.

He loved Gaara.

Despite all that Gaara has done and said to him… Despite what is lying right underneath his brother's very own flesh… He still loved him.

Gaara was his little brother and he didn't get why the little red head did not understand this. The youngest of the sand siblings had always been shy towards himself and Temari. When he was younger, he was very curious, yet shy. Not sure if he wanted to be around them or not… or was wanted around them. Gaara was never fortunate enough to have many that wanted to be near him because of the Shukaku fixed in him courtesy of their father.

After the incident with Yashamaru, and as the little red head grew, he became very skeptical and almost suspicious of his siblings when they tried to approach him. It was like he was expecting them to assassinate him at any minute though they couldn't blame him. Their father had sent family members after Gaara in the past… and neither Kankurou nor Temari was really there for him during his childhood. So why should he trust them?

At least more recently, he has begun to let them into his life again, if ever just so little. It was enough to give Kankurou the hope to be close to his little brother, the way that he never had.

"Gaara?" Silence. "Gaara, is something wrong?" Kankurou listened for any noise or indication that Gaara was moving around. It was obvious that the boy would not be asleep since he had not been able to sleep since he was born. The older of the brothers curled his fist against the door and closed his eyes.

He wanted to _be there_ for Gaara.

"Leave." Kankurou was startled by the noise. He hadn't really been expecting to receive an answer from the red head, but it gave him hope that maybe Gaara might tell him what was the matter, or what had happened. His voice indicated that Kankurou was getting under his skin.

"Gaara? What happened? … Where'd you get those burns?" He persisted. He had been more than a little worried about the burns on his brother. He wasn't quite sure what they were from and if he had seen them correctly, if only for that split second, it appeared they were blistering. It did not look good.

There was silence and Kankurou felt his heart drop a little bit. He turned around so his back was against the door and he slid down the wooden frame heavily before reaching the floor. He leaned his head back and sighed.

He wasn't going to leave him alone.

Not this time.

He would not fail his little brother. He was going to keep trying.

"Gaara…" Kankurou began. He wasn't sure where he was going with this, but he felt he owed his brother some sort of explanation… Maybe something would spark the red head's interest and perhaps, if by some miracle, he would open up to Kankurou, if just a little.

"Do you know why I wear my face paint?"

This was something Gaara had always wondered about. It was a set of strange markings that Kankurou always wore and he assumed it was for the puppet brigade. Paint your face like a puppet.

Kankurou took the silence to move on with his tale.

"You probably always assumed I wore it because I was in the puppet brigade," he let out a small bitter chuckle. Gaara was a little surprised that his brother was that intuitive about him. "I never wore it when I was little…"

"Do you remember?" Kankurou gave a small sad smile and leaned his head against the door, staring up at the stucco ceiling of their home. Silence. "After…" there was a hesitant pause to prepare Gaara for the name that drove the young one to insanity. "Yashamaru…" Kankurou paused again to make sure Gaara was okay with the subject.

After the silence lingered, thought it was a bit heavy with the topic, Kankurou felt it was okay to continue.

"You wouldn't come near Temari or me…" he cleared his throat. It was a difficult topic to talk about for him, not really liking the idea of what had happened. "We always… wanted to be near you… I know you might not believe that… but we did."

"You were my brother Gaara… and…" he had never verbalized this to the red head... Not once in his life because he never thought that Gaara would understand these words that were about to leave his lips. "I love you. Temari and I… we both love you."

There was a pause, but Kankurou felt that he couldn't stop from this. Not now. Gaara could absorb all this later. He needed to let him know this now.

"When we found out what father had done to you," he clenched his fist and looked down at it, "we were so angry… Scared and angry… Temari wanted to try and keep us all together, but… I didn't want any part of our father after that," he near spat the words.

"I couldn't stand the sight of him… What he did to you, Gaara. It was wrong," his voice became heavier, yet softer. "And… I couldn't bare looking in the mirror and seeing our father in me. I was cursed to look nearly identical to him… I couldn't stand it!" He felt himself become enraged.

He remembered a time after he had found out about the Shukaku, when he looked into a mirror.

His hair…

His eyes…

His nose…

Even the shape of his face…!

It was like he was a miniature version of his father.

He had become so infuriated by the resemblance he had punched the mirror, the glass shattering and slashing his hand to ribbons. The blood streamed from his fingers and yet the few fragments that had remained attached to the wall stared back at him with the eyes of his father.

He didn't want to look like him. He didn't want to look like him. He didn't want to look like him!

He felt the warm liquid dry on his skin as he took his bloodied fingers and dragged them all of his face, changing his appearance. Hiding it from the world. From Gaara.

Temari had screamed when she saw the blood on her brother and had gotten him cleaned up before their father saw.

He wouldn't have cared…

"I didn't want you to see our father, when you looked at me…" Kankurou said quietly, closing his eyes and tracing the lines on his face.

There was silence still.

…

Gaara would not speak.

…

Kankurou let out a small sigh, feeling as though his efforts had not affected their brother. That maybe his brother didn't care or didn't understand… maybe he just didn't believe in him.

And then suddenly there was a pressure on the other side of the door and Kankurou could feel the dull thud of Gaara's head as the red head sat opposite the door of Kankurou, leaning his head back.

His breath caught in his throat.

The older of the two felt tears rise to his eyes and he leaned his head back, thanking whatever higher power there was for this moment with his brother.

"The sun." Kankurou realized Gaara was talking about his burns.

"Okay…" Kankurou whispered back, hiding the tears behind his voice.

111

Naruto could slowly feel his short vein of patience popping.

He had to question himself several times why he was even there and then realized that he was the one who brought himself there and cursed his stupidity.

Sasuke was not the best of conversational partners and when he did converse he was either very honest, brutally sometimes, or he picked on you… Or at least that's what it seemed to be when in Naruto's shoes.

He could have gone to Sakura about this situation, knowing that she would probably be more helpful. However, he also knew that the situation would not stay quarantined with her. He loved her, but he knew her well enough that she would tell Ino what he had just told Sasuke and that Ino would tell everyone in the village.

Naruto didn't even know what to do or _think_ about what had happened just yet! He didn't need rumors to be started about him.

And so here he was in the company of his best friend, who was also a major bastard.

Naruto felt the corner of his eye twitching as he watched his best friend sip some tea silently in the Uchiha mansion. Not a word from the dark haired prodigy.

"So?" Sasuke finally spoke and Naruto snapped out.

"So?! You're supposed to offer me words of advice or something! One of my _male_ friends just confessed his _love_ for me! I haven't even gotten Sakura-chan to say that yet," Naruto pouted out the last part of his outburst.

"You're so loud," Sasuke closed his eyes in annoyance. Naruto was horrible in situations like this and he was annoying on a daily basis to boot. But it was still flattering that Naruto would come to him of all people first about this. "Who says I have to give you advice?"

"You bastard…!" Naruto growled out, knowing all too well that Sasuke knew that's what he was there for. Naruto just gave Sasuke a look who watched him uninterestedly through one eye.

It was a silent battle and sparks flew between the two before Sasuke closed his eye and sighed a sign of defeat, chugging the rest of his tea.

"Fine," Naruto's eyes lit up at the response and he threw an arm in the air and exclaimed.

Naruto had been emotionally distraught about this whole ordeal, ever since it happened.

It was really a surprise to him. He didn't expect that Gaara loved him in a way that was more than friends, though he supposed the fact that Naruto was most likely one of his first friends and a demon carrier like himself who could understand him better than anyone else ever could, had to do something with it.

Naruto had nothing against people who were gay, especially if they were his friends. If one of his friends came out of the closet, Naruto would be accepting of this friend and supporting of this friend. He knew how it was to be singled out and looked down upon because of what you were… he couldn't do that to another person.

So Gaara being gay was not the problem… In fact, he knew somewhere in his mind that Gaara was most likely not gay and in fact attracted to neither sex. He was almost positive that if he performed the "sexy no jutsu" in front of the red head that he would not even bat an eye.

He just felt awkward with a man being attracted to _him_. Especially when he was fairly certain he didn't feel the same.

He guessed that Gaara was just attracted to him, for who he was and what he did… That in itself had made Naruto's heart flutter. It was flattering to the blonde. No one had ever said that they loved him… Not once in his entire life… and to hear it in such a way, so truthfully and passionately… It wasn't something he could just ignore.

And what did he do to show his appreciation?

He ran.

That was another thing that _really_ bothered him about the situation. Instead of giving Gaara an answer to his confession, he had run away from it like a coward, kicking himself for doing it later.

Poor Gaara probably felt rejected, like a disease.

Naruto felt even worse.

He had become exactly what he despised. He had hated it when all the kids would run away from him because their parents had told them to stay away, he was a bad child.

What made him any different from them? Running away from Gaara because he had feelings for Naruto…

It wasn't a very Hokage thing to do… How could he run a village if he kept running away from things like this? He had to stand up and be a man!

He was disgusted with himself… but what could he do about it?

He obviously owed Gaara an explanation or at the very least and apology of his actions. No, he owed him both. His friend also deserved an answer.

But Gaara was all the way in Suna… then again the red head had travelled three days to get to Konoha, just to tell him that and be run away from.

He would have to go to Suna, that was decided… The image of Gaara's siblings came into mind and he suddenly felt that maybe going to Suna would be a bad idea and that he would wait for them to come back? Or maybe he could do it by letter…

No, that was the cheap way out of things. He needed to do this in person, no matter how nerve wracking it might be.

What would he tell Gaara though?

"Naruto, are you listening to me?" Sasuke's voice pulled Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Eh?" Sasuke sighed at Naruto's incompetence. He had finally offered up some useful information to the blonde and Naruto had completely missed it.

"I gave you your advice."

"What?! Tell me again! Tell me again! I didn't hear it!"

"Why should I? You didn't seem interested in it the first time," Sasuke teased. Of course he would repeat himself, but that didn't mean he wouldn't string Naruto along for a little bit. It was interesting to get the blonde riled and it was worthwhile to teach him a lesson about listening to people when they're talking to you.

"Come on, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto whined, getting to his feet and shoving his face close to Sasuke's. The Uchiha reeled back at the sudden closeness of the blonde and kicked him out of his face.

"Alright! Alright! You stupid blonde," Sasuke muttered out, trying to regain his composure. That was the drawback of messing around with Naruto. He was very unpredictable and that could lead to your defeat if you underestimated him.

Naruto gave Sasuke a grin and he settled down, sitting on his feet in a kneeling position, attentively listening to his friend.

"Do you love Gaara?" Sasuke started and it caught Naruto off guard.

Naruto felt the heat rise to his cheeks at the question and he shifted around a bit nervously.

Did he love Gaara? This was the question he always had trouble with.

"That's a tricky question… I mean, as a friend I-," Naruto started to mumble on, twisting his hands around in his lap and staring at the wooden floor.

"Just answer the question," Sasuke's voice was short and cut. He left no room for Naruto to give a roundabout answer. He was asking for a "yes" or a "no."

Naruto frowned a bit and decided he should confront this now and think about it maturely. Gaara deserved that much.

Did he love Gaara? As a friend, there was no doubt in his mind. Gaara was closer to him than many because of that special bond they share. However… as a lover? He wasn't so sure…

He didn't really desire to see Gaara naked and he wasn't particularly attracted to him physically. Though he had to admit, he did check him out that one time in the hot springs. Gaara was different though… he was… alluring was the best way to describe Gaara's appearance, and Naruto couldn't help but look. No one had eyes like Gaara and he had wondered if the rest of him was like his eyes…

There was the demon bond that they shared with one another and Naruto couldn't deny that the bond held Gaara close to his heart. They could relate to one another well and they got along fine for the most part. Yet they were different enough to keep their relationship with one another interesting. He was comfortable around Gaara… well, before this incident.

But Gaara didn't make his heart flutter and he didn't feel crazy enough to do silly things for him… His heart did flutter that one time when Gaara confessed to him, though he attributed it to the verbal recognition that someone loved Naruto. And he didn't want to do silly things for him, but was that really necessary in a relationship?

Naruto pondered whatever he could grasp in his little brain, giving intense thought to the problem at hand.

Sasuke watched Naruto who appeared to be deep in thought and he gave a little smirk at his best friend who was trying. The fact that Naruto had to think at all gave Sasuke the answer to the question, but it was up to Naruto figure it out himself.

"No," Naruto answered clearly after a few moments of silence. Sasuke met Naruto's blue eyes, studying them for any falseness before closing his own and standing up to walk away.

"Well then, there's your answer," Sasuke said simply.

"Wait, but what should I do?" Naruto tried to pursue. Sasuke stopped a moment and looked back at Naruto through the corner of his eye.

"You said yourself you don't love him… So tell him that," Sasuke continued to walk away, yet Naruto wouldn't have any of that.

"But!" Naruto insisted there must be another way. He didn't love Gaara like that, but he felt that he should. "… It might be possible…" Naruto mumbled out at the last minute and Sasuke stopped and turned around.

Naruto didn't want to lose Gaara as a friend over this. He was sure Gaara would respect Naruto's decision, however, Gaara was socially inept and Naruto did not want the red head to feel any different around him than before…

Yet… he _didn't_ want to love Gaara. It just didn't appeal to him… It hadn't occurred to him that he could love Gaara in such a way… But that didn't mean that it would never be possible…

"'It might be possible' what? Naruto…" Sasuke urged him to continue. Naruto was dense and needed to be talked through certain things, but that was okay. Sasuke would help him out with it this time. At least that way the blonde would leave him alone for a bit.

"To… you know… _love_ him…" Naruto's cheeks were colored pink with embarrassment. "I mean, you don't always start out in love with someone… it could happen…" All the elements were there. And it was reciprocated on one side; it was possible if only Naruto felt the same way.

Gaara had suffered so much in his life, so much more than Naruto… Naruto felt like he should grant Gaara at least a small wish… even if it was just for a little while.

Gaara meant a lot to him because of their connection with one another… He couldn't… _wouldn't_ deny that, ever.

But would he be willing to go as far as trying to love Gaara if only for a while?

Naruto wanted to ruffle up his hair in frustration. He hated situations like this because they made him nervous and on edge. He naturally did not like conflicts such as these and preferred to keep things pretty simple.

Sasuke turned all the way around, facing Naruto, and put his hands on his hips.

"So give it a shot then."

"But he's a _he_!" Naruto whined suddenly and Sasuke flared up, angry at Naruto's words. He hadn't taken Naruto for one who would be judgmental of others who were attracted to the same sex. There was nothing wrong with it in his opinion.

"Liking another guy doesn't make you _any_ less of a man, Naruto!" Sasuke spat at him, suddenly very angry with the blonde and Naruto looked a little taken back by the words thrown at him.

"Sasuke…" the words echoed in his brain and he let them sink in slowly. Sasuke took Naruto's shocked moment to continue on.

"You'll still always be a dobe to me…" Sasuke said suddenly, a bit quieter and he looked to the side to try and hide the pink tinge on his cheeks. Naruto processed the words slowly before smiling warmly at Sasuke.

He understood a bit more now and was appreciative of his friend's sacrifice of pride.

Naruto may not love Gaara now, but thinking about everything that he does with Gaara, and everything that he felt… everything he could gain, a lover, and with the reassurance that he would not lose anything such as friendship, with Sasuke… It could be possible for him to fall in love with Gaara.

Dating Gaara didn't mean he would be bound to the red head forever, but even so, it could be a chance to get closer to him… and who knows… maybe Gaara's feelings might be returned eventually.

He still loved Sakura, but he seemed to have more of a chance with Gaara… Sasuke told him himself that he wouldn't think any differently of Naruto and that they would still be rivals and friends.

His other friend's shouldn't have a problem with it either and even if they did… It's not like he was gay… He would just be with Gaara…

He had nothing to lose, and everything to gain… He should probably at least give it a try… For Gaara's sake.

The Shukaku holder needed at least one thing to go right in his life.

He was a little skeptical on the situation, but it made sense to him in some odd way.

Naruto nodded.

"Thanks, Sasuke," and with that Naruto got up and left, an embarrassed Sasuke watching the orange jacket disappear behind his front door.

112

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but somehow Gaara had been pried from the confines of his room by his siblings. Listening to Kankurou spill his guts had softened him a little and he had let his guard down, allowing both siblings to open up the door and snatch him.

"Hold still," Temari cringed as she tried to put the aloe on Gaara's face. The burns hurt to be touched and Gaara was refusing to put it on himself. The red head reeled away from her touch a little bit, closing one eye as her fingertips smeared with the cool substance touched his cheek.

The pressure pained him and he could hear his sand hiss in the gourd near the doorway. He tried to suppress its will to protect him from the pain.

Seeing his flinch, Temari paused, looking at her younger brother for a moment before pressing just soft enough to apply it to his skin, which she found surprisingly soft.

Temari had not wasted anytime taking up the opportunity to have physical contact with her brother. She had always wanted to change his diapers as a baby and to pick him up and carry him around when he was smaller. To be able to help him with his wounds was more than enough for her. She couldn't recall a time where she had ever made direct contact with him.

Kankurou had once when Gaara had been defeated by the Uzumaki child and he had lived to tell about it. He had made it a point to rub it in her face later, making her extremely jealous.

She continued to apply the soothing material to his face, hesitantly looking up into the red head's eyes, looking for any sign of her death foretold in the green orbs. None so far.

Gaara watched his sister intently. He wasn't quite sure why she was so eager to put the aloe on his skin… but what Kankurou had said about his sister and brother wanting to be near him rang in his mind.

Maybe what his older brother was saying was true… Gaara found himself wondering what it would be like if he allowed his siblings in like he had Naruto… If perhaps they could be a normal family…

He tried to picture the three of them sitting together at a dinner table or out on the street, shopping together… Or even just watching a movie like they had the night Naruto had been over…

It was hard to picture, that kind of closeness. But…

Gaara closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, startling his sister who drew her hand back from his face. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

She was still afraid of him, but he couldn't blame her… She couldn't know whether or not he was going to hurt her or not. It's not like she was a mind reader… but if what Kankurou had said was true… then maybe…

Maybe he could give them a second chance… Did he want to though?

That kind of life, with them… Did he want to be like that…?

It seemed nice… To be loved…

Could he really look beyond what happened in the past and live with his siblings as their brother?

Could he just look past what he had done to his relationship with Naruto and move on as friends…?

Gaara hesitantly reached up and lightly grabbed his sisters' hand, bringing it back to his face to put the rest of the aloe on his cheeks and hands.

Temari felt herself blush a bit at the feeling of her youngest brother accepting her attempts to be familial with him. She could finally feel like the caring and overprotective sister she wanted to be.

She quickly finished putting the cool gel on his skin before standing back and wiping her hands on her skirt.

"There," she gave a smile. "All done."

Gaara nodded, standing up from the chair and heading towards the door, placing his sandals back on ever slowly. He had seemed to calm down from whence he had come home.

Temari watched him curiously.

"Gaara… Where are you going?" she asked. The red head had only been home for a matter of a few hours and suddenly he was going back out? At least this time she could ask him the questions directly.

Gaara did not pause as he fastened his gourd to his back.

"Konoha," he stated simply, reaching for the door.

Temari bit her lip. Getting information from Gaara was like pulling a tooth, but he was surprisingly offering up answers to her.

"When will you be back?" Gaara was reaching for the door handle.

"Not within the week," he stated simply. She was satisfied with the answer to not expect him home soon, until she realized that it was a three day travel to Konoha and a three day travel back. The travel was about a week, meaning she had no idea how long he would be staying in Konoha.

She wanted to open her mouth and try and get a real answer from the red head, but Gaara was already gone, leaving her with her words stuck in her mouth once again.

"You are such a pervert," Temari turned around to see Kankurou smirking at her. It took her a minute to realize what he was talking about… he must have witnessed her "moment" with Gaara and was purposely interpreting her need to be motherly in the wrong manner.

She felt the color rise to her face and she reached for her fan as her brother took off in the opposite direction, headed for his room.

She would get her revenge.

…

Gaara wandered quickly through the desert, paying no heed to the burns on his face, hands, and feet. The aloe that his sister had put on seemed to be working well for the most part. At least it dulled the sting…

He felt inspired now… and with purpose. He had a goal that made him feel a little more secure in the situation he was in currently.

The encounter with his sister and the sudden decision to forget the past and try to move on with the future inspired him to rectify his ordeal with Naruto.

The blonde was too important a friend for him to lose and he could not imagine a life without Naruto.

"_I can't live without you."_

He had said it himself before.

Besides… weren't they going to grow up and become Kage's together? Naruto had promised him that he would become Hokage one day so that if Gaara were to become Kazekage, they could see each other, and be friends forever…

Gaara couldn't let Naruto down. He would still become Kazekage… but he couldn't do it without Naruto. He needed Naruto to be at the end of that tunnel for him.

Gaara was fully prepared to tell Naruto to forget about what Gaara said about loving him in that manner. He wasn't going to risk his friendship with Naruto over something silly like that.

Would he stop loving Naruto? No. That he couldn't change and he was coming to accept that even though his feelings were not reciprocated, it did not mean the end of the world. He would live on.

Friendship was more important to him. Having Naruto in his life was more important to him.

He was growing and learning… learning about life and all the things that he missed out on. The things that he hadn't experienced, he was beginning to understand them a little bit more in a hurried rush.

He hoped that Naruto would accept his offer.

A life without Naruto… He just couldn't have that.

113

It had been a few days after his talk with Sasuke and Naruto was finally ready to leave and face Gaara with his proposition. He had prepared himself mentally for what he was about to do…

But it didn't change the fact that he was still nervous and unsure as hell!

He looked at some ramen packages for sale, studying them intensely and making faces at them as his mind reeled with thoughts that did nothing to put his mind at ease. He would need something to eat along the way he supposed…

He clutched the small black sheet he had in his hand. He was planning to use the sheet for dual purpose in the desert. One, for carrying supplies and two, to hide his face from the blistering sun. How he would go about rotating their tasks he wasn't sure, but he'd figure it out when he got to that problem.

Now… should he go with the pork or the beef style ramen?

"Naruto?" the feminine voice that was all too familiar sounded behind him and Naruto turned around to meet his favorite pink haired ninja.

"Huh? Sakura-chan?" he was surprised to see her in the same store as him. His brain was still malfunctioning from what he was about to go through. He still had about three days before "the big day," but that didn't make him any less nervous.

Sakura's eyes drifted to the black sheet in Naruto's hand before looking up at the blonde curiously.

"What are you doing?" She asked and pointed at the sheet. Naruto looked down at the object in his hand before thrusting his hand behind his back and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah! Ahaha… Well," he wasn't about to tell her that he was going to Suna to ask Gaara out. He wasn't sure if his heart could take that kind of thing just yet… It was hard enough for him to accept it himself… In the mean time he would just lie low with it… "I'm going to visit Gaara."

Sakura's eyes lit up a bit and she looked a little surprise.

"Really? I just saw Gaara a few minutes ago… He's been looking all over for you apparently," she frowned a bit, becoming a little suspicious of the situation.

Naruto went rigid and froze solid.

Gaara was here?

In Konoha?

… Naruto didn't have three days to prepare himself again?!

Suddenly the reality of the situation was upon him and it had snuck up on him so quickly.

He wasn't ready to do this!!

The sweat poured off his face and it was suddenly hard to breath in his orange jumpsuit. He gulped heavily, the nerves he had been feeling earlier created earthquake intensity trembles throughout his body.

"Naruto?" Sakura questioned her teammate. His sudden rigidness worried her slightly.

It was now or never, he supposed. He couldn't run from it anymore… No more delaying. No more excuses.

He clenched his fist around the sheet tightly.

"Where did you see him last?" Naruto looked up, suddenly very serious looking. Sakura was slightly taken a back and a little lost in the situation. She pointed to her left hesitantly.

"Thanks," was all she got before the blonde became an orange blur and he was gone, speeding down the road and heading towards the rooftops.

"But-! Naruto!" she tried to call after him. She wanted an explanation, but her teammate was long gone. "Really," she huffed out before putting her hands on her hips and heading towards her destination.

…

Gaara had been in Konoha for a little more than an hour now. He had first visited the blonde's apartment, but found it empty. The training grounds were full of a few familiar looking ninjas, but there was no blonde in an outstanding orange get up.

While in his search, he had encountered a few of Naruto's important people, including the lazy eye and the one known as Sakura. Neither had seen him all day, but assured him that they would let him know that he came by.

Gaara was sure that he had searched everywhere in Konoha, meaning he must have missed him somewhere along the way… It was mildly frustrating… There must be an easier way to find a person.

Gaara studied his surroundings before his eyes rested on the giant stones of Konoha. He vividly remembered the blonde proclaiming his dream to the Shukaku holder at that very place. It was one of the places he really felt he had begun to understand the unpredictable blonde… Where he really began to understand their connection with one another…

That's where he would meet him… It felt appropriate and he was sure that if word passed, Naruto would eventually find him there. He would know where to look.

And so there he sat, arms wrapped around his knees as a light breeze eased him for the experience he was about to gain.

Naruto would come.

…

Naruto was sure Sakura had to have pointed him in the wrong direction because he did not see any sign of the vibrant red hair.

A part of him said it would be okay if he didn't find Gaara, that it would give him more time to think it over again and delay the outcome.

He shook his head at this thought however. He needed to do this quickly or he'd never be able to do it at all.

Standing on top of a roof, he scanned all areas of Konoha. If he were Gaara… Where would he be?

Where would Gaara wait for him? …

He squinted in thought and through the suns' rays until his eyes landed on something.

He looked at the faces of the previous Hokage's and gave a little smile, suddenly knowing where Gaara would wait for him of all places. He would bet whatever little money he had in his frog pouch that the red head would be waiting for him at the top of those mountains.

Without a second thought, his nerves lingering tightly in his stomach, Naruto set off.

…

Gaara breathed in the crisp air of Konoha. It was much different than in Suna, much cooler and it sent shivers down his spine… though those cold also be from anticipation. He had no idea when Naruto would come, but dusk was slowly drawing near as he watched the sun start to drift over the horizon, casting many shadows.

He was ready for this. He was more than enough prepared to say what needed to be said and he was more than ready for things to just go back to the way they were.

"Ohhhh HO! You there!!" A voice rang from behind Gaara. A voice he would know from anywhere. He turned around immediately, eyes widening at the sudden presentation before him.

There was Naruto, standing on top of a tree above Gaara. His arms were folded across his chest and his black sheet had been turned into a cloak as it billowed behind him ridiculously. Gaara felt his jaw become a bit slack.

"Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, will accept the mission!" The blonde exclaimed, smirking brilliantly. Gaara was still a little in shock from the display that Naruto's words escaped him momentarily.

"Wh… What?" the red head managed to get out of his mouth that had suddenly gone dry. What was the blonde talking about? Mission?

Naruto smirked a bit and jumped down from the treetop and lightly jogged over to Gaara who remained sitting on the ground. He crouched down to be eye level with his friend.

This was the only way Naruto could do it. This had to be done with a fantastic entrance and a bang. He needed to be silly and to be laughed at, dominant and open… Otherwise he would never be able to say what needed to be said. That was just the way he was.

Whenever he was about to do something brave or very stupid… that was just Naruto's way of things… and here it was in action.

"I'm saying that I'll go out with you," Naruto said simply.

Gaara felt his eyes get wider and there was no stopping his lips from parting.

He had to be hearing this wrong… or it had to be some kind of cruel joke.

There was…

Was Naruto…?

Gaara was unable to form even complete thoughts at this point. The light feeling in his chest soared and his heart fluttered like a caged bird as he was certain his soul was leaving his body.

Naruto watched Gaara's shocked expression and looked down at the dirt, a bit guiltily.

"I'm sorry about running away before…" this change in tone pulled Gaara from his emotional high. He decided it was important to listen to what Naruto had to say. "I just didn't know what to think… It was… very cowardly of me and I'm sorry." The blonde looked up at Gaara apologetically.

Gaara thought about this for a moment. It had hurt Gaara greatly, what Naruto had done… but he was willing to forgive the blonde for almost anything. It was partially his fault as well for thrusting the situation on the blonde.

Gaara looked up at Naruto, matching the blue eyes with his own.

"It's fine," he managed to speak, his face falling back into its normal stoic place. Naruto gave Gaara a sun filled smile in return before leaning forward and doing something Gaara had never thought he would experience.

Naruto's lips pressed softly and chastely against his sunburned cheek.

It was quick and sudden, but Gaara could feel it lingering.

His eyes widened… and he ever so slowly brought a hand up to his cheek where those lips had pressed.

The thudding in his chest intensified until the bird inside was freed and he entered a euphoric state of mind where it seemed pain could only a myth.

The world was a kind and peaceful place at the moment and Gaara was happy. Truly happy that Naruto was there beside him.

Naruto turned his face away, fox-like expression on and a slight blush tinged his cheeks.

"I'm not really sure how this kind of thing goes…" Naruto tried to explain his lack of experience in dating and in dating with men. "… I'm not even sure if I really love you in the way that would like me to… but…" he tries to look everywhere but Gaara. "I think I could… I figure you're worth the shot."

Finally Naruto's blue eyes settle on Gaara's soft green ones.

The blonde can feel himself being drawn into the orbs. Their intense glow made him uneasy as did the red head's silence.

"Say something so I don't feel like an idiot," Naruto frowned at the red head.

"… Your guess is as good as mine," Gaara said, trying to regain control of his mouth, let alone his limbs. Naruto cocked his head to the side and made a face, trying to figure out what Gaara was referring to.

"Huh?"

Gaara let his eyes wander to the ground and he was thankful for the burns on his face that covered the blush that would have been highly evident.

"It's just…" Gaara trailed off and Naruto leaned in a little more to hear out his quiet friend. "I had come here to tell you to forget what I had said… I didn't want to risk the bond I have with you… It's too important to me," Naruto blushed at Gaara's words, a little intimidated by the sand ninja's words of passion.

"I didn't think you'd actually give this a shot…" Gaara continued. There was a small twitch of his lip and for a moment Naruto thought he was really going to smile. "I'm happy."

And though Naruto could not see a physical smile, it was evident in Gaara's aura and softening features that one was a brew. Seeing his friend in such a mood made Naruto feel like he had done a good deed. He would have to see where this played out.

He didn't want to string his friend on for long, but figured it would be okay to test the waters for now.

And who knows… Maybe things will turn out in Gaara's favor and Naruto will fall madly in love with the red head.

Naruto didn't feel as uptight about the situation as before. He felt more comfortable and relaxed in Gaara's presence than before and felt like things would carry on as normal.

Naruto sat down on the ground next to Gaara, making himself comfortable as he watched the sun die down beyond Konoha, the village of his dreams. Gaara played with a bit of dirt, quite unsure of what he should do other than relish in his feeling of happiness.

"It's getting late… You can spend the night at my place if you'd like," Naruto offered, turning to face Gaara who looked up from the mound he had been creating.

Spending time with Naruto was highly appealing to the red head, but it was not necessary at this point. He wanted some time to himself to let everything sink in and to research on what he should do in this kind of relationship…

He knew a very basic structure of what could happen… but nothing more than that.

"I'll head back to Suna," Gaara said. "I don't sleep so it is not necessary for me to spend the night." Naruto gave Gaara a funny look.

Most people who were dating would jump at the chance to spend the night with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Naruto was offering an unsupervised visit and Gaara was turning it down?

Gaara was a strange person… but Naruto was internally thankful because he would be unsure as to handle a situation involving Gaara molesting him in his sleep or perhaps even just a simple goodnight kiss.

Though, from Gaara's answer to Naruto's offer, it appeared the red head was not really interested in a physical relationship with Naruto… Which meant that the red head was attracted to who Naruto was, faults and all… That he accepted him fully and he loved him for it…

It was a pure kind of love and Naruto suddenly felt honored to be receiving such a gift.

He smiled softly and warmly at Gaara before watching the last of the sun die down with his friend.

"Okay."

…

After the last ray of light had disappearing introducing the night and moon, Gaara decided it was time for him to leave and he stood up, brushing of his pants.

Their parting was awkward to say the least, but the relief from the settlement was more than welcome between the two. They said their good-byes and parted ways.

It was not only till a few minutes later that Naruto realized something.

Gaara had come to Konoha to tell Naruto to forget about the whole thing… meaning he was willing to only be friends with Naruto… Naruto wouldn't have had to date him.

He felt like crying inside. All that stress over something that didn't even have to happen!!

He jumped the gun!

He let out a yelp of frustration, ruffling his blonde locks before abruptly stopping and laughing up into the air.

Oh the messes he got himself into…

But somehow, this one felt worth it.

He smiled to himself.

Things seemed like they would be okay.

000

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Next Chapter: Yukata

A/N: Told ya it'd be longer. : ) Well… not as long as I had hoped, but oh well. : \ Well I hope that was to your liking. Next chapter's going to be pretty fluffy and I hope you guys liked my sand sibs tid bits XD Actually the whole reason this fic was spawned was because I wanted to write my theory of why Kankurou wore his face paint. How that turned into this, don't ask lol XD

My cousin laughed at my round about means of writing this fic. Btw her pen is silverthorn and her stuff is really well written. It's a lot of one shots but you should read them if you like the stuff she's written for : )


	9. Yukata

G. A. A. R. A.

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Summary: After seeing Naruto again, Gaara is left with some puzzling thoughts and makes a trip to see the Genin from Konoha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these lovely angsty characters.

Pairing: NarutoxGaara

Warning: MalexMale relationships and possible language.

A/N: Hahaha! Omg I just read the last chapter that I wrote and realized how much of a sap I am lol But I love the sand sibs and it was the only way I could get Naruto to date Gaara… I just feel like Naruto would have to validate the relationship somehow.

Again so sorry for the REALLY long delay. I'm currently in the middle of moving across country (as I write this I'm in New Mexico, I'm originally from CT, moving to CA). So I'm moving and getting situated, while trying to work on this story.

I have been severely unmotivated due to a traumatizing incident involving my cat ;.; and I've been really busy with my preparations to move across country. So I warn you, I might not update for a LONG time.

Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to my poor kitty, Skittles. On May 8th I came home to him as normal and picked him up to give him his food, only to have him go limp in my arms and begin to seizuring as his heart failed him. I rushed him to the vets, but I'm not sure if he even made it inside. My brother and I buried him in the woods behind my house and made him a nice marker.

Baby, I'm so sorry I couldn't do anything for you and I hope wherever you are you are happy and hope you know how much I love you and will miss you. My brother and your brother miss you dearly too.

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000

Naruto sat nervously in the presence of the girl of his dreams. He could feel the heat rising on his face rapidly as her green eyes studied him for any sign of falsity. He found himself silently praying for her to say something about what he had just said, her intense gaze was nerve wracking and he hoped that she wouldn't be bothered by the situation.

The suspense was killing him internally.

"Really?" she questioned him skeptically and he looked up, a little surprised at her voice before regaining himself and offering a nod of confirmation.

"Yeah," he couldn't bring himself to say more than that. It was hard for him to explain this to the pink haired ninja of all people. He basically had spent his entire life since meeting the girl, in love with her.

He remembered seeing her that day when they first entered ninja school. Her hair was covering her face and she appeared very lonely and shy. He didn't know her name at that time, but he could tell… even then… that her forehead was huge. But despite that, she had a cute face.

_She_ was cute.

This was probably the first time Naruto had ever felt anything like this towards someone before, though he knew somewhere in his heart that it would be impossible at that point and time in his life for anything to happen. No one liked him. No one wanted to be around him.

It was that lonely period in his life where he was transitioning from despising the looks that the villagers gave him, to wanting to become recognized by them. At the time he had felt defeated by his loneliness. Giving up on the hatred and groveling at the feet of everyone else just so he would be noticed.

Then he realized that hatred was nothing to be sad about giving up… and at the same time he did not need to bend to the villages will, which gave birth to his prankster nature.

He was thankful for this realization because had he not, he might never have had the chance to talk to that wonderful cute girl who he was glad to have as one of his best friends in the history of Uzumaki Naruto.

A few months later she had shown up to class, a red ribbon in her hair, pulling back the nuisance strands that hid her lovely face and forehead. And thus spawned Naruto's infatuation with the female ninja named Haruno Sakura.

So it was natural that he felt awkward explaining what he had just done to the girl of his dreams, especially since she knew of Naruto's affection towards her.

Sakura sighed.

"Naruto…" she started and Naruto tensed, listening intently. "Do you know…?" Here it would come; he would lose his only chance with Sakura here at this moment in time. Relationships with other men were not highly looked upon by most and he feared that Sakura might share the same views.

But… it's not like he was gay… It was just with Gaara… Who was a man… but also not gay. It was just an attraction… On one side really… He wasn't sure of any of this…

Either way, he must be prepared.

"Do you know… _How incredibly _cute_ that is_?!" The comment didn't hit Naruto at first. He just sat there blinking at his feminine love interest before making a face of disgust.

"_Ehhhh_?!" What happened to his vision of the sweet young girl he met six years ago!?

He looked at her sparkling green eyes that were all too happy to hear the news that he and Gaara were an official couple.

He wasn't sure if that look disturbed him more than the fact that after her outburst, she had gotten up and had actually sat _next_ to him. Not just next to him, but so close that their legs were touching and if Naruto hadn't been so shocked at the green eyed girls' actions he might have tried to make a move on her.

But… Sakura _never_ sat that close to him.

It just didn't happen.

Why was she doing it all of a sudden? Then it struck him as quite obvious that since he admitted his new relationship with Gaara, she must have assumed he was gay. It was a known fact that females felt more comfortable around men, who appear to be advancing on them, when they've found out that they swung the other way… At least in Naruto's mind it seemed to work that way…

He needed to clear this up to her that he was not attracted to men. It would be too awkward if she had that frame of mind for a long period of time…

"Hehe…" he started nervously before completely ignoring the comment and moving on with his clarification. "Yeah, but don't worry… There'll be a time for you and me too." He attempted to smile, pulling off a sheepish look as he hit on his interest once more, at the pink haired girl next to him who looked oddly calm.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

Naruto's comment had not confused her at all…

She just refused to believe that he meant what he had said. She chose to ignore Naruto's insinuation about dating her… It was not important at the moment since it was a customary thing for Naruto to allude to his feelings for her.

"You make it sound like you're planning on leaving Gaara-kun already," she said. There was no way that Naruto would do such a ridiculous and downright cruel thing as that… Was there?

No matter who it was, boy or girl, if you get dumped it hurts. Especially if you know the person you were dating never intended on staying with you to begin with.

Then again… Naruto might not even realize what this would mean to Gaara.

Naruto blinked at her, dumbfounded. He hadn't given her the whole explanation leading up to the decision to date the insomniac red head. He had just announced his relationship with the Suna member.

For some reason, unbeknownst to the blonde ninja, he needed to get this confession off of his chest, and not just to any person… For the longest time, Naruto had been pining after Sakura, even after some brutal rejections. And now suddenly he is in a relationship with a person he doesn't really know all that well, but has connected to fairly strongly. And this person happens to be a man.

It was still a shock to his system, no matter how many times he told himself about it.

He needed to tell Sakura… He wasn't sure why, but telling his love interest seemed to relieve a great deal of pressure within him now that the person he wanted to approve of him most knew from his lips what was going on.

He was hoping that maybe in addition to this alleviation of stress she might offer advice to what he should do next since Gaara was not precisely knowledgeable about relationships… He didn't want to freak the poor red head out… and at the same time he felt as if he made a move on the red head, he would be betraying himself and weird himself out.

Naruto didn't like Gaara in that way… but it was possible… However, he didn't want to force himself to like Gaara, because that wouldn't be fair in the long run to the red head… Being trapped in a false love. The poor Suna child barely had a grasp on the concept and he didn't need the blonde to confuse him anymore than he already was.

If he was to fall in love with Gaara… then that should be up to Gaara's doing.

Gaara needed to make Naruto fall in love with him.

So the only way to go about this was to explain the circumstances of his relationship with the red head.

"Well… I'm not going to be dating him for very long," he could see Sakura was absorbing the information carefully, making him nervous with his word choice. "I don't really like him in that way…" He trailed off, not sure how to put things into perspective…

However… he suddenly felt the room grow cold and Sakura's chakra flared abruptly. Naruto's sweat evaporated and he felt the urge to escape the area immediately, noticing that even after careful consideration of his wording, he had made a mistake somewhere, though he really didn't have a lot of time to think about what it was.

No, this Sakura before him was no longer the sweet and shy girl he had once met… But nonetheless her violent nature attracted him either way.

"_Naruto_!!" Sakura's fist reeled backwards, fist clenched.

"You are such an _ASSHOLE_!!" she exclaimed furiously, standing up and punching the blonde in the cheek for emphasis. Naruto shrunk back with a noise of surprise, clutching a hand to his abused cheek.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you idiot?! Gaara-kun said he was in love with you and you went out with him even though you don't feel the same?!" She screeched and Naruto felt like a puppy who was being scolded for having an accident on the rug.

"How do you think Gaara is going to feel when you break up with him, huh?" it seemed to click in Naruto's mind and the words sunk in. He had told Gaara the circumstances of their relationship. He told him he would give it a try, but how did Gaara feel about the whole ordeal? He never asked once, but…

"_I'm happy."_

How true were those words…? He had just assumed that going along with Gaara's feelings and exploring the possibility would be in Gaara's best interest… Why did he never stop and think and do the right thing?! Everything was so complicated and he briefly wondered if all relationships started out like this.

He looked up at Sakura and rubbed his quickly bruising skin, allowing her fury to sink in. Her views were different than Sasuke's… and a little more violent. Sakura was better with emotional and social decisions than the Uchiha… but Sasuke was better at figuring out logical decisions.

Sasuke had encouraged him to go out with Gaara and was fine with it.

Sakura had been fine with it until she heard the whole story and decided that it was a bad idea.

"You need to break up with him before he thinks he really has a chance with you, Naruto," she said a little calmer, rubbing her own fist gently.

Naruto looked down at the floor of Sakura's room, suddenly lost in thought.

He had come to her to express himself and get his sudden decision off his chest. If he had gone to Sasuke, the bastard would have just teased him… Sakura seemed like the logical conclusion because she was much more open and in tune with her emotions.

However, what he had gotten was a lecture and another boat load of things to think about.

Should he have gone out with Gaara?

How does Gaara feel about the whole situation?

Who should Naruto listen to? … Sasuke or Sakura?

Should he leave Gaara? Or did he stay with him…?

They both made sense…

Gaara was definitely worth the shot. He appreciated Naruto for everything that he was and accepted him, faults and all. They had a connection that could rival none other… It seemed logical enough and it was everything Naruto could ever want emotionally in a relationship.

But then again… If Gaara was as serious about his newfound love as he said he was, and Naruto left him… It would leave a broken child with nowhere to turn, no one to trust... He couldn't do that to his friend…

Naruto looked up at Sakura and she could see the guilt and thought in his big blue eyes. She was satisfied now that she had made the blonde see the other side of the story and turned to leave the room.

"Come on, we'll get you some ice for you cheek," she said simply and left to head downstairs into her kitchen for some ice, leaving Naruto to wallow thoughtfully in his own world for a few minutes before he too, got up and followed the pink haired girl to their destination.

His cheek was beginning to hurt.

111

Blue eyes…

Blue eyes and blonde hair…

That was all that occupied Gaara in the past two weeks since he had travelled to fix things between him and Naruto. Though his physical being did not appear any different, his eyes seemed a little out of focus and his manners slightly more clumsy and sloppy than normal… Such as tripping a little while walking across the floor… He even went so far as to slouch when sitting down for dinner.

He seemed so much more relaxed and approachable…

So much more… human.

Temari and Kankurou had noticed this odd behavior from their youngest sibling and though they deemed it strange, their brother did not look as though he was in pain so they supposed it was fine. It was a common occurrence nowadays for Gaara to behave out of the ordinary.

Though… they were milking it for all it was worth.

Gaara would let them get away with things that he normally would have sent a sand spear through their hearts for. Temari was thrilled that she could finally run her hand through his red locks, though she gave an excuse as to emphasize how messy it was… Just in case her youngest brother decided to flip a switch on her and to mask her own softness and fondness for her siblings.

Baki was growing increasingly frustrated with Gaara's lack of participation in training and his frequent visits to Konoha, though he couldn't argue with the results that the red head showed during training sessions when he was there. Gaara was both advanced mentally and physically… Though it couldn't do any harm for the red head to learn a little taijutsu just in case his sand barrier had be broken as it has been proven possible.

Gaara had shown during the Chuunin exam that with a talented enough taijutsu user, such as the green clad boy with the fuzzy eyebrows, Gaara would be in a bit of trouble. It was also proven that if you throw young and unpredictable blondes into the mix, Gaara's sand barrier could be penetrated.

Never in Baki's life had he thought that Gaara could be defeated, nor did he ever assume his sand barrier would be thwarted. Hence he never thought it would be necessary for Gaara to learn taijutsu moves… Now though… things have changed.

However, his student remained to have a somewhat detached mentality towards his training. Though… There was not much he could do about it. The thing with Gaara was that if Gaara didn't want to… Gaara didn't.

And currently, for the past two weeks Gaara didn't want to do anything except stare out his window or go for lazy walks about Suna. With the way his eyes were glazed over, one would think he was deep in thought… However, it was quite the opposite.

Gaara was in a very shallow state of mind, dwelling on a surface emotion of happiness that comes around all too little in his life. He was absorbing and relishing in the feeling it gave him to know that someone cared about him greatly to the point of love.

He knew that Naruto didn't love him in the way that Gaara did. It was easy enough to read in the blonde's big blue eyes…

But the fact that Naruto thought that going out with Gaara would be worth exploring to see if he would ever reciprocate the red head's feelings… That in itself told Gaara that Naruto at least cared about him deeply. That alone made him happy…

Of all the people in this world, the one he looked forward to for acceptation and cherished the emotions received from him, was Naruto.

However, this thought would linger only for so long before he travelled to greedier thoughts about the relationship.

He knew he should just be thankful for Naruto caring for him… but Gaara, as he was slowly finding out, was only human.

His mind wandered back to the feather light and chaste kiss that Naruto had first given him, a hand mindlessly drifted up to his cheek, allowing his fingertips to touch the area.

It had seemed like a dream and it left Gaara speechless and unsure if it had really happened… but the action caused his heart to flutter uncontrollably and against his will he shivered a bit in delight.

It was strange. He was unsure if it was a welcomed feeling to be touched in such a manner. Gaara was only used to punches, head butts, and occasional explosions. The soft intended touch was not something he had ever imagined someone would be able to do or want to do to him, so he never dreamed of it and because of this, did not understand what to think of it.

This new realization however, that Naruto might be willing to touch Gaara in a certain way, whether it be a simple gesture of brushing hands or perhaps even a deeper kind of…

Gaara allowed his thoughts to trail when he reached this point because this is where things got rather uncomfortable for him. The heat would rise to his face and he was thankful that he was able to place his sand armor on his skin once more, though he would occasionally remove it to peel off the dead skin from his sun burns, deciding as he did so that sun burn was a disgusting wound that he never wanted to experience again in his life… Though he didn't mind the tanner look it gave his skin…

However… He could tell there was a great deal of uncertainty in the kiss. The way Naruto had forced himself to awkwardly perform the unnecessary action… Gaara in no way wanted Naruto force himself to do things for his sake. Gaara just wanted Naruto… He didn't need kisses or sweet nothings if only Naruto would be at his side and he at Naruto's.

… Though he wouldn't deny that the physical reassurance of a kiss here and there wouldn't be _so_ unwelcomed… It was kind of nice, the last time…

There would be a soft, barely audible sigh inserted into this train of thought and he would pull his mind from the gutter for a little bit and once again relish in his joy. Unsure of when he would feel it again, if ever.

He was just so amazed and excited by the prospect of having a lover. That was something that Gaara never dwelled on, too busy with trying to form a normal friendship. He had never found himself attractive on a physical level, though he wouldn't go so far as to call himself ugly.

Though this kind of relationship was not something he valued highly on his list of "things to do"…

And yet here he was… in a relationship with a lover all of his own.

Speaking of relationships…

He really had no idea how to function in one nor what was expected by one or the other. He supposed he should have written a letter or something to Naruto, just to keep in touch… However he was fairly certain the blonde would be keeping himself busy…

Though Gaara wasn't sure how much longer he could keep himself away from Konoha…

There was someone waiting there for him…

So what did he know of relationship of this kind…

He recalled reading a few novels where some cheesy declarations of love were given before a few pages of pornographic material that disinterested the red head followed…

… That couldn't be all there was to a relationship such as this… right? If so then he would be fairly disappointed…

He had been hoping there would be something deeper than careless words that couldn't be trusted and some lust driven touches.

What he _wanted_ with Naruto, was something deeper than that… Something he couldn't quite explain outside of the urge to just be around the blonde and really let him see _Gaara_.

So who would know about relationships that would be willing to talk Gaara and steer him in the right direction? … He didn't want to disappoint Naruto with all of his efforts…

Kankurou was out of the question… His brother he was fairly certain had problems with attracting suitable mates… He was also fairly certain that he had "gotten farther" with another person than Kankurou had – meaning he had the experience of a kiss.

Siblings and family didn't count…

Baki was just a simple "no." Gaara did not feel comfortable talking to his instructor about this certain issue because he was fairly certain that an interrogation would ensue.

So the only logical conclusion was Temari and so he sat down in front of her one day before dinner. Kankurou was busy heating up something for the three of them to eat. The oldest of the sand siblings had insisted recently that they try and sit down together to eat their meals.

He kept his icy eyes on his older sister as she squinted at a piece of paper in front of her, engrossed in her findings, that is until she looked up, feeling the chilly eyes on her and locking with them.

Gaara said nothing at first, knowing well enough that Temari knew he wanted to say something. According to her he got an "antsy" look in his eyes when he needed to express something.

She put down her paper and turned her attention to her youngest sibling. He needed more attention than the news did.

"Did you need something, Gaara?" she asked. Kankurou half listened to his sister speak, much too busy with preparing their meal. God forbid their sister step in the kitchen and cook… Even Gaara had decided to skip dinner that one night that she cooked for them all… Kankurou sat through it for his sister's sake…

It took Gaara a moment to respond, drawing in his sisters attention more and more as she waited patiently for a reply.

"What do lovers do?"

Temari was fairly certain that her heart skipped a beat and Kankurou spun around, abandoning his position at the oven, suddenly very interested in his sister and brother's conversation.

The blonde female's throat went dry and she was having a hard time finding her voice, not that she really knew how to respond to such a thing. When her brain began receiving instructions once more, she found her eyes drifting towards her middle brother who met her gaze, looking equally perplexed.

The thought never passed their minds that they would have to explain to Gaara the mechanics of _sex_, of all things… They never believed he, Sabaku no Gaara of all people, would be even remotely interested in sex and Temari wasn't sure if she wanted to corrupt his young mind at the tender age of twelve… She didn't feel comfortable with her twelve year old brother exploring sex…

Kankurou gave her a shrug, which basically meant "you're the oldest, it's up to you." She sent a small glare in his direction for abandoning her in this dire moment.

She turned her attention back to the youngest of the sand siblings who appeared to be waiting patiently and intently for her response.

She could feel an immense blush cross her face from the awkwardness of explaining this particular subject to her brother… She had to give Kankurou "the talk" when he got older and she was hoping that Kankurou would save her from that embarrassment by giving Gaara "the talk" should the need to ever arise.

Temari cleared her throat, shifting her eyes to the side briefly before looking back at Gaara and trying to give a small smile, though it was greatly and noticeably strained.

"Well… You see, Gaara… Lovers have," she looked to the side, trailing off as she did so, "_sex_… Meaning the boy-," Gaara's eyes narrowed, cutting Temari short with his own silky and monotone voice.

"-'s erect penis is inserted into a willing vagina for the purposes of procreating. In some instances the penis can be inserted into the oral and anal cavities for pleasure. I know what sex is," Gaara stated as-a-matter-of-factly, effectively finishing Temari's sentence. "I want to know what lovers do outside of sex."

Temari's voice completely left her with no intentions of returning, her eyes about as wide as Shukaku's ass and Kankurou's jaw was left hanging agape. Never in their lives had they expected such words to escape their youngest brother's lips… Those terms coming from anyone's mouth would have seemed strange, but the fact that Gaara's voice remained as passive and emotionless as ever made it even worse… Kankurou for one knew he wouldn't be able to get past "erect" before he broke out into a hysterical laughter.

This reaction from his siblings briefly caused Gaara to wonder what he had said that caused his siblings to be so dumbfounded.

Temari was shocked to say the least as a fierce blush covered her face. She wasn't so much shocked that Gaara knew the mechanics of sex and where babies came from. Gaara was a smart child… However, she was not expecting him to know of oral and anal sex… She wasn't even going to explain that to him!

More importantly…

"Neh, Gaara?" Temari could see the slight surprise in her brother's eyes as she addressed him unsurely. She had his attention though, which was the important thing. "… Where did you learn about… _that_?"

Gaara blinked once before responding with, "A book."

Kankurou started laughing as loud as he could, unable to keep it in. No sex education book he knew of taught what anal and oral sex was… You needed to read something dirty or be looking specifically for those in a dictionary… Just the thought that Gaara could have been possibly reading pornography sent the older boy into shudders of laughter.

The laughter however seemed to rub the younger red head the wrong way and he found himself growing impatient with his sister's reluctance and his brothers' uninformed humor.

"What do lovers do outside of sex," it came as more of a statement and Gaara tried to retain some of his patience, but he was entirely too curious for his own good.

Temari was beginning to get a little curious as well. Her brother's sudden interest in a topic about the sensual side of lovers peaked her curiosity. She wondered vaguely what had possessed him to investigate this topic… It was very unlike Gaara to explore the different relations of two people and she was also quite unsure if her brother would even understand the importance of the certain things lovers do.

"Well…" How to put things in terms that Gaara might understand… "Lovers hold hands and kiss… They…." She cut herself short and trailed off, uncertain of her words.

"Why do you want to know?" She tried to talk her way out of answering the question, her unwillingness inherent in her tone. The whole conversation did not seem necessary to her…

It's not like Gaara had a girlfriend or anything…

"Because Gaara's got a girlfriend," Kankurou sang to his two siblings. It was the most improbable taunt that the middle sand sibling could think of, yet it couldn't be more close to the truth. Temari ignored Kankurou's immature teasing by rolling her eyes, having to put up with this sort of thing from him the greater portion of her life. That is until she witnessed Gaara's reaction.

The red head simply turned and shot his brother a look which he immediately stopped, though continued to laugh and reassure Gaara that he was "only joking."

The slight blush that crept to Gaara's cheeks, however subtle it may have been, did not go unnoticed by the hawk like eyes of Temari and suddenly, she was very intrigued by this reaction… It was one of embarrassment and she briefly wondered if perhaps Kankurou had hit too close to home for Gaara's liking… Though as implausible as it may seem that Gaara had a crush at the very least… It wasn't impossible…

"So why do you want to know?" She pursued her question, suddenly interested in why Gaara would want to know what lovers did… Or possibly what the underlying question was, "how to _be_ a lover."

Gaara returned her question with a glare and she deemed it appropriate for her to continue talking. She was fairly certain Gaara wouldn't harm her, even if she was pushing his buttons, but she wasn't particularly willing to put herself in danger. The possibility that Gaara may have a love interest was not lost on her, however postponed.

"Fine, fine!" She held her hands up in defense, seemingly to ease the ray of heat Gaara's glare sent her way. She looked to the side, trying to wrack her brain for something else to say. She for one was not the romantic type so this sort of thing was just about as hard for her to talk about as it would Kankurou…

"I suppose giving flowers and food works… Going on dates?" she ran her hand through her hair and Gaara took pity on his sister seeing that she was running out of things to say. She nodded to confirm that she had answered his question to his satisfaction.

She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a brief moment of freedom from the confines of her brother's question. However, it was short lived as Gaara opened his mouth once more.

"Why," came the monotone word and his sister was confused for a moment, not sure as to what he was addressing. He repeated himself, giving a bit more information. "Why are these things done?"

Now this was problematic. The simple answer would be "because it's appreciated," but she could tell that's not what Gaara was looking for. With these sort of questions, she wondered if Gaara would reach something akin to an epiphany sometime soon. He certainly seemed to be putting effort into understanding this aspect of a relationship.

"I guess holding someone's hand is a sign of reassuring them that 'everything's okay'…" she tried to reason the characteristic actions of lovers more to herself than to Gaara. She herself didn't quite understand why these things were acceptable and sought out, but maybe one day…

"Kissing lets the other know they love them I suppose…" Gaara did not blink, absorbing all of the information that his sister was procuring, taking her word as law. "Flowers work all the time," she thought about the movies as an example, "and food is just nice," she shrugged out the last part. It was the only thing she could think of.

Gaara closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh.

It was as Temari had suspected; Gaara didn't understand why these actions had these effects on another or why they were valued… However, he did understand that according to his sister, these actions were appreciated and that it was nearly a guarantee that Naruto wouldn't mind this kind of attention, now that they were lovers.

What he did understand though, is that he… loved Naruto… And he understood that he wanted to make Naruto happy… As stupid and meaningless as these gestures may have seemed to the redhead, he was now obligated and probably expected to participate in such actions he supposed.

He really just wanted to be around the blonde and be by his side, not kiss and hold hands… Though that might not be as unwelcome as it sounded, he pondered…

Gaara's eyes wandered to the side as he propped his head in one hand.

It still sounded so strange to be thinking or saying such things… It was foreign to his tongue and yet it was a welcome discomfort.

Temari studied this gesture, allowing herself to return to her previous speculation that perhaps Gaara had some interest in a girl? Perhaps that's why he kept disappearing to Konoha…

Had he fallen for one of the female ninja's during the Chuunin exam?

The one with the pink hair perhaps… He had gone and pinned her to a tree after she most likely sparked up some troubling memories for the young redhead…

Or maybe it was the girl with the short blue hair… She remembered how riled up he had gotten after witnessing her bloody fight…

But it didn't make sense… Gaara never once mentioned anyone from Konoha outside of the Uzumaki boy…

Perhaps it had been someone he met recently? Maybe on one of his visits to see Naruto, the blonde had introduced him to someone and Gaara had become smitten now that his heart is beginning to open…

It shouldn't be any of her business as long as Gaara was happy and not reverting to his destructive nature, but the sister in her couldn't help but wonder if this girl was good enough for Gaara...

Or so she tried to convince herself since she was really just curious to see what kind of girl Gaara of all people was interested in.

She stared at her brother for some time as he looked at nothing in particular and she knew that look and was not surprised when the red head stood from the table and proceeded to walk towards the front door.

"Konoha?" she questioned a bit sadly since it was evident that they would not be eating dinner together that night. Kankurou looked away from what he was doing when he realized what was going on. He had lost interest in the conversation after Gaara had given him a fierce glare.

Gaara turned slightly, pausing in the door frame of the kitchen. He hadn't expected his sister to know where he was headed, but she was not stupid so it shouldn't have surprised him. There was an obvious pattern in his habits as of late and Temari was an attentive person, especially towards her siblings.

"I'll be back soon," he offered her some more information, though none too efficient.

"Well… Have fun then," Temari managed a smile in the red heads' direction, obviously disappointed about the situation, but giving him some support.

Gaara took notice of the strain in the corners of the blonde's mouth and he suddenly felt a tad bit guilty. He knew how Temari had been pushing for them to eat as a family, though he could not understand the reason as to why, it was important to her none the less.

He felt his eyes travel towards the ground in thought and Temari admired how in such moments he really didn't look that much different than when he was a child, still confused as ever.

He turned towards the door as Temari let out a sigh.

"Temari," it came more as a statement and Temari had been surprised since the conversation had appeared over. She blinked a bit in her confusion.

"Thanks," was all he said before calmly retreating from the kitchen and out the front door of their home.

Once the resounding click of the door had faded, Temari was pulled from her stunned state, taking in the new level of intimacy she had just earned from her youngest sibling.

A smile began to brew on her features and she found herself turning to Kankurou, her smile transforming into something akin to a devilish smirk. Her brother was sure he could see the horns sprouting from her top.

"Kankurou," his name sounded quite ominous on her tongue and he held back a shudder, though curious as to what his sister was thinking.

"That's three to one," she snickered and Kankurou felt like he should throw Gaara's portion of dinner at her.

Ever since Gaara had begun opening up to them, they tried to see who could get Gaara to open up more, by having "moments" with him. Kankurou had not gotten anything outside of the scene with Gaara by his bedroom door. Temari had been on a role lately and he was growing increasingly jealous of his sister, wanting to be closer to their brother himself.

He picked up a fist full of rice and Temari reacted by hopping up from the table and running down the small hallway and up the stairs to her bedroom and locking the door behind her, trying to avoid the rice that Kankurou was about to throw at her. She could hear her brother annoyed on the other side as she laughed heartily and loud.

She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed in such a manner and she looked up her ceiling, casually wondering with a small smile if this is what being a family could be like.

112

Gaara wasn't quite sure what was going on when he arrived at Konoha's gates. He had immediately pulled out his permission pass to enter the leaf village, flashing it as he wasted no time to enter the city. The guards, if they were decent enough could immediately tell whether or not it was fake, they were ninja after all.

However, this time, he had been stopped by the two at the desk and it began to irritate him when they questioned him. He couldn't really blame the two, the connection between Suna and Konoha was still very loose since Suna's betrayal and Suna's not-so-secret weapon showing up every few months for the lame excuse of "training," was rather suspicious… But that didn't change the fact that he was becoming progressively annoyed when the two decided that he should be taken to see the Hokage.

Fortunately for the two guards who had interrogated him, Gaara was in a good and cooperative mood. He was going to see Naruto today, which immediately sent him into high spirits, or at least he felt in high spirits. Outside he was merely as calm as ever and he could tell his nature was unnerving the two at either side of him. That was fine with him, in fact, that put him in even higher spirits.

Now that he had the attention of Konoha's security and will be meeting the Hokage, he felt he had to keep a low profile. He was not there to stir up trouble of any sort and if he did, he might risk losing the chance to see Naruto if he becomes banned from Konoha. That would drive him up a wall.

His quest to become the Kazekage was not lost on him, mostly put on the back burner of his mind for the time being as he enjoyed the perks of being human, like meeting his best friend and lover. So being polite to the Hokage would most likely be a good start to the goal that seemed nearly unreachable… Not that Gaara was impolite. In fact, Gaara was well balanced in his manners area, having been raised as the Kazekage's son. He never considered himself rude, though he figured his quiet demeanor could be misconstrued as such…

The walk to the Hokage's office was shorter than expected, though Gaara couldn't help but feel it took a lot more time away from Naruto than he would have liked. Thankfully, as his patience wore thinner, there was a verbal announcement of their arrival and Gaara could see the door come into view.

Pausing in front of the door, the guard with the large strip of white across his nose knocked on the door, calling himself Kotetsu and entering the office for a moment, disappearing behind the heavy looking entry.

The moment his partner disappeared, Gaara could feel the uncertain eyes of the other guard next to him gaze at his figure. Friend or foe? That's what he was thinking, however Gaara was slightly amused by this reaction, the fear that he was receiving.

He wasn't sure why he was interpreting this fear as such… In all other cases, he became enraged, never fully understanding the depths of the hatred in everyone's eyes… and even when he had understood their reason's it angered him all the more for never seeing him as anything other than the monster they created.

However… At this moment in time, he was amused by this fear, even going as far as to turn his eyes calmly in the direction of the guard, meeting his gaze for a split second before the guard realized he had been found out and turned to stare at the door instead. The sweat was evident on the side of his face and this made Gaara happy.

He didn't know why, but he was never any good at interpreting his own feelings, but he knew what this feeling was. Smug happiness. It was like a mind game… Turning the angering fear into a game… It was silly… But it felt better than the hazy disorienting anger that he used to break out into.

It was just another sign that he was changing his ways…

He briefly wondered if this was similar to the way Naruto had dealt with the looks of hate and fear he had received, however he was not allowed to linger on this thought as Kotetsu 

emerged from the door, motioning for them to come in. The guard next to him seemed all too eager to leave his side and join his partner.

Upon entering the office, Gaara found it to be much brighter in terms of the Kazekage's office… and much messier. There were papers stacked high and Gaara let his eyes slowly wander to the pig that was sleeping at the foot of the Hokage's desk. His assumption was that the Hokage was a slacker. Sure the Kazekage had loads of paper work as well, but people from Suna were known for their "on top of it" attitude. Suna was by no means a rich village and unfortunately that meant the Kazekage had to be on top of everything at all times. Places like Konoha which have some money, many different resources and an excellent military system could afford to relax a bit when it came to such matters.

"Izumo, Kotetsu," came the feminine commanding voice, "You can leave."

Gaara watched the two at his either side step back from his sight, bowing as they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The red head narrowed his eyes behind him.

The fact that the guards were confident enough in their Hokage to leave her alone by herself, said words of her abilities.

"So," Gaara turned his attention back to the owner of the voice; the Hokage.

It was quite a surprise to Suna when the new Hokage had been declared as a female. There were plenty of good female ninjas, like Temari, however not many were Hokage material. Though it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise once one considered the fact that she was also one of the legendary Sannin.

Gaara's eyes locked with the Hokage's.

Her blonde hair framed her face as her eyes narrowed, fingers interlacing as her lips hid behind her folded hands.

There was a fire, Gaara noticed. There was a definite fire in her eyes, of passion and life. She was a true fighter. Loyalty was a strong feat with her, he could tell.

The proud air that surrounded her was intense and Gaara felt himself become excited that one day he too would have that kind of power.

Her eyes studied him and he stayed still, waiting for her analysis of him to be completed.

The room was silent for a few minutes before the Hokage made a quirk with one of her slender brows, breaking off the gaze that she had been holding the red head in.

Gaara had to admit, that he was not expecting the Hokage to suddenly become informal as she leaned back and stretched her arms of her head with a big sigh.

"What are you doing here?" She asked in a bored, but 'I still need to know,' kind of tone. She rested her face in her hand, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

Tsunade was practical and intuitive at the same time. She needed to assess any situation from a likelihood to gut instinct as a doctor as both can save lives. This processing had carried over from her days as a medic to her life as Hokage, so when Sabaku no Gaara had been brought into her office, she needed to decide whether or not this was a threatening visit.

It was in all possibility that Suna could be sending Gaara to gain information on Konoha seeing as how they had proved once before that betrayal was not out of the question.

Though her gut told her that Gaara meant no harm. She couldn't feel any killing instinct from her, no desire at all in fact… He seemed very blank and hard to understand… It was almost creepy in a way, but even so, he did not appear to have any malicious intent.

It was hard to believe however, that he was continuously returning Konoha for the sake of training. She was too old, though she would never admit, to not realize that the reason on the red head's pass was fake.

So why would he be coming to Konoha?

The likelihood of Gaara being sent by Suna was becoming more and more reasonable by the second and yet she sought out something to justify his constant appearances in her village.

Then it struck her… What did Sabaku no Gaara have in common with Konoha?

The child from the sand was not unknown to her as he had a reputation being upheld in quite a few villages in the ninja world. It was common knowledge that Gaara had become the sacrifice of a demon of some sort. Which demon he bore she was unsure of, but it did not matter because all that mattered was that he had one…

And so did Konoha.

It was at this realization that she became more relaxing having concluded the reasoning as to why the red head was seeking out constant attention from the leaf village.

Gaara's eyes remained on the Godaime Hokage- never blinking, never responding.

Tsunade returned his gaze, studying his cool and calm nature. It was like he expected her to know the answer, to which she did, however she was hoping that she could procure it from his own lips for confirmation… Though it did not appear the red head was about to respond anytime soon.

"Does it have to do with Naruto?" she questioned, hoping to edge him along with the answer, a nod of the head would suffice. Gaara didn't do even that, though the unmistakable glimmer that suddenly appeared in the icy green eyes of demon bearer answered her question. She was certain of it.

And if that were the case…

She let out a big sigh as she turned to face him, bracing herself on her desk as a slightly annoyed expression adorned her face for having to go through the trouble of dealing with such an insignificant matter.

"As long as you don't cause any trouble, you can stay," she finally stated. "Now shoo," she started waving her hand at him to get out of her office so she could continue napping before Shizune came back. She praised herself a little for being so generous to let the young red head stay in Konoha to visit the brat.

Gaara bowed in a formal "thank you" before turning on heel to leave as silently as he had been. Just as he was about to open the door, a dark haired girl with shoulder length hair stepped in through the doors and he allowed her to pass.

Tsunade sighed in misfortune as she watched Shizune enter with a large stack of papers, watching Gaara as he left through the door after her. His appearance was a bit startling to her to say the least. The door clicked shut, however her gaze remained where the red head had just been, trying to determine what he was doing in the Hokage's office.

"That is _one_ creepy kid. I'd hate to have to work with him," Tsunade expressed her first impression of Gaara, breaking the silence and drawing Shizune's attention back to her.

Shizune looked back and forth at her master and the door, trying to interpret the situation, though she couldn't help, but nod in agreement that the young red head looked deeply troubled and "creepy" as Tsunade had put it.

"Well, at least he looks like he _would_ work," Shizune said, looking at her Hokage from the corner of her eye and Tsunade looked away to play "innocent."

"And speaking of work…" Shizune dropped the heavy stack of papers she was carrying onto Tsunade's desk, "These are the mission reports from yesterday that you need to confirm." She said it with a smile as she heard her master groan.

"I'll be back later to go over your list of appointments for tomorrow with you. Ja!" And with that her assistant left, leaving the Hokage to believe that Shizune got some secret pleasure out of making her life miserable and full of work. Revenge for all the years that Tsunade had her manage their money and lives she supposed…

She took one last look at the neglected papers on her desk and shoved them to the side as she sifted through a drawer looking for a bottle of sake to help her get by the day.

…

Gaara was relieved to leave the Hokage's office as it smelled distinctly of alcohol; though a curious thought passed by as to how efficient the Godaime Hokage was at leading Konoha… She had to be at least a little wise for keeping the relations with Suna and he did not doubt her power as a ninja, being one of the Sannin.

As he walked down the packed dirt roads of Konoha, he thought nothing outside of his destination. He was becoming a little less confident than what he was when he had left Suna. He had left on a whim to do something nice for Naruto, something that a lover would do…

He had three days and three nights to think of something, _anything_ to do for Naruto and had come up with nil. His time was pretty much up and he wasn't sure he wanted to arrive at Naruto's with no reason outside of the pretext of wanting to see him.

He was a lover now and he wanted to do things right. He didn't want to scare away Naruto like he had done so many other people, but he didn't want to avoid Naruto. He really liked him. He really did… And he didn't want to screw this up.

He just hoped that he hadn't already…

And then as if the gods had finally decided to answer him out of all his years of torment, a bright patch of colors in the market street of Konoha, caught his eyes. Thinking back to his conversation with Temari, the idea seemed perfect.

"_Flowers work all the time."_

Her voice rang in his head and he suddenly found himself wandering over to the stand full of the obscene brightness. He was never too fond of flowers; they were so fragile and died quickly when picked from the ground, becoming a tainted brown from their previous brightness.

Flowers that were not kept for one's personal tastes were generally given as gifts, which signified that the other has some form of bond with you and for Gaara who had no one but himself for the longest time had never deemed flowers important.

But at the same time flowers were so rare in the desert where he lived that seeing them was sometimes beyond words and he was compelled to admire their short lived beauty.

He was about to touch one of the many buds that fluttered the stand when a voice startled him.

"Gaara-kun?" The red head looked up to glance in the direction of the person who had called his name only to be confronted by a second blonde that day. Neither of the 

blondes were the one that he was searching for, however this one looked somewhat familiar.

He was positive that he had met this girl the day that Naruto dragged him to the beach where he got that horrible sun burn on his skin. Even now he had some tan lines…

When his green eyes met the girls she lit up a bit.

"It is you! I thought so," she smiled coyly and moved quickly over to the wooden stand next to the flower shop, leaning over it to look at the red head who inched back slightly, not used to being so close to people he didn't know all that well.

Between Naruto and this girl… He was beginning to wonder if Konoha knew anything about personal space as he was sure the girl was so close that he could see her eyelashes.

113

Naruto was not in a good mood to say the least.

He stared at his boiling water as he made himself ramen for lunch, scrunching his face in his stressed state of being. His eyes hurt from staying up late, thinking about the issues at hand and his head hurt from thinking about it too much. His body was sore from the training he had done with Jiraiya and the surprise encounter they had…

He just felt like an absolute mess at the moment.

There was the issue of Gaara on his mind. His red headed "boyfriend," as he's been trying his hardest to refer to him as, has not contacted him once in the week and a half they've been together.

He was fairly certain Gaara did not get the concept of what boyfriends and … boyfriends or girlfriends, did with each other and he half heartedly pondered the idea that Gaara just wanted special attention.

But then the image of the red head with his eyes wide and sincere popped into his head and he could tell there was no lie or misconception…

Not that Naruto was complaining, the time apart would give himself time to adjust mentally to this new idea and contemplate what he should do about the red head.

Again, on one hand, Gaara was the perfect yin to his yang. He was level headed, calm, understanding of Naruto, and was willing to love the blonde. On the other hand, Naruto honestly did not feel any attraction towards him, not at this stage in the game.

So Sakura brought to his attention another side of the story.

_Gaara's_ feelings…

So it had come down to him deciding to follow Sasuke's approval of the relationship and stick it out, see what life has to offer him-

Or to dump Gaara before the red head decides he might have a chance with the wary blonde like Sakura had suggested, before his heart is broken…

It was a hard decision, but with the lack of communication between the two of them he was sure it would be hard for feelings to develop on Naruto's part. Suna was a ways away and it would be hard for anyone in a relationship to keep it long distance…

Naruto was beginning to think that Sakura was right, but he couldn't help the feeling in his gut that if he did have more time with Gaara… that something could arise. He wasn't sure what… but it could.

However, Gaara was the least of his worries at the moment as his best friend sat miserable in the hospital, getting patched up.

He wasn't sure what was up with Sasuke… Sasuke had always been a mysterious dick to him, but he was fairly positive it had to do with the encounter with his brother.

"_I wanted to… kill my brother…" _

He remembered the raven haired Uchiha admitting to Naruto as he lay "dying" in his arms.

The blonde let out a small sigh in frustration as to his best friend's latest attitude.

Recently, just a day or so after Gaara had left, Naruto and Jiraiya had gone to do some "training" in a nearby town. Naruto had figured the training would get his whole Gaara ordeal off of his mind so he could relax a bit. However, Jiraiya's version of training, he said was supposed to help Naruto hone his impersonation skills… By using his sexy no jutsu to convince the other women in the hot springs he was a woman.

And then suddenly a tall man with dark hair showed up at the door he was staying at. His dark eyes looked all too familiar when he answered the door, though as it turned out he did not have much time to dwell on this feature as he was suddenly attacked by the man and his accomplice.

Fighting for what he supposed was his life, Naruto hoped that his lecherous teacher would pop in sometime soon and lend him a hand since his training had obviously done nothing for the blonde.

However, he was in for quite a surprise when Sasuke had shown up, the devil in his eyes as he spat at the taller man. It was then that Naruto noticed the similar features between the two and Sasuke had declared this man, Itachi, his brother- the one whom Sasuke desired to kill.

Sasuke did not match up to his brother as much as he had hoped; their differences in power were far too great. Needless to say his best friend was not taking his defeat too kindly and had been more secluded in his thoughts, becoming more chastising and rude than his normal sarcastic and feigning disinterest.

This did not sit well with Naruto because something was bothering his first bond and he knew it had to do with the sudden presence of this Itachi… Right now… He was sure of it as Sasuke brooded away in the confines of his room… He needed Naruto right now.

But Naruto was sure he was unwilling to admit this.

Either way, Naruto was not in a good mood because of his friends' unwillingness to open up to Naruto and his sudden hostility towards the blonde.

The stress that he has acquired on himself over the past week or so was giving him a headache and he was asked by a few close friends, such as Ichiraku and Iruka if he was feeling all right. Of course he had denied feeling the slightest bit down, but that was the way he was.

It wasn't that he was _trying_ to hide his true feelings, no in fact Naruto was pretty in tune with his emotions and wasn't afraid to express his anger or sadness. However, growing up with the desire for true attention from someone, he did not wish to gain attention in such a way. He would rather the attention be drawn to him through his greatness and not his troubles. That was the way he was, Uzumaki Naruto.

_Tap tap_.

Naruto was immediately snapped from his thoughts, jumping a little and startling the pot in his hands that had begun to boil over, spilling its contents on the floor and splashing onto his feet.

"Yayayah!!" he jumped around the hot liquid, trying to move away from the now contaminated water. Once his feet touched dry flooring he grabbed the nearest whatever off of his floor and wiped at his feet to keep them from scalding. That water was hot!!

He gave a last few puffs of breath directed at his red toes and stood up with a frown trying to figure out where the source of the sound that had startled him had come from.

The sound was too soft to have been coming from his door and he briefly wondered if perhaps it was caused by the ice maker in his freezer. That is… until he saw the figure crouched outside his window.

He wasn't sure what to think when he saw who it was that disturbed him from his thoughts because frankly, the sight itself was unnerving.

The first thing that he had seen was the bright red hair as always, however… Something else that was also bright accompanied him… Something that just did not quite sit right with the blonde. Not with those piercing eyes…

The one thing that he had been looking forward to in his relationship with Gaara, was that he was given the impression that Gaara did not want to be involved with romantic ideas and the like- that he just wanted to _be_ with Naruto. Not to mention his red headed boyfriend had remained out of contact with him for over a week.

So when the sand ninja had shown up, hovering outside of his bedroom window with a bouquet of orange and yellow looking flowers, he was slightly caught off guard.

Oh, this would make him _undeniably_ uncomfortable… Were those roses?

There was another small tap at the window that snapped Naruto from his thoughts and he found himself moving over to his window to let the red head in.

"Gaara…" the blonde whispered a bit bewilderedly as he opened the window. The Suna ninja evaluated Naruto's expression and lingered outside of the window with a frown.

"You do not look pleased to see me…" he said blandly and Naruto blinked in confusion seeing as how that was not the case at all. In fact, he was quite pleased to see Gaara. Surprised… but pleased. The red head was one of the few who understood him wholly so even though the circumstances were a bit odd at the moment, it did not mean that his presence was unappreciated.

Naruto took on a small smirk of a smile with eyes that said "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry," his voice reiterated, "I've just got a lot on my mind-," his explanation was cut short as flowers were thrust into his face, in almost a begrudging manner that had the blonde surprised. He lifted his blue eyes to meet Gaara's green ones.

The green eyes held something akin to anxiousness and curiosity. There was a nervous excitement coursing through those green orbs and Naruto could already tell that Gaara was unsure of Naruto's reaction.

Gaara felt that he should know by now that Naruto was not going to reject him, but past traumatizing instances were hard to overcome. Unfortunately for the sand user, the last time he had attempted to give somebody a gift he was called a "monster."

And he should _know_ that Naruto was not going to use such words… He told himself this again and again that Naruto was different than the rest… He was the same as him…

But that didn't change the tension he felt constricting his heart at the moment. He was just a scarred child…

Maybe overtime it would lessen, but only time could tell this story.

Naruto was how to say… speechless.

He wasn't expecting to see the Suna boy today, nor was he expecting to receive flowers from him. He tossed wordless questions at the redhead who became more anxious by the second as Naruto did not immediately receive his gift.

Gaara turned his head to the side, finding that his boyfriend both did not expect such a gift from him and was truly confused as to why he was receiving the gift or he simply thought Gaara was crazy for giving him such a thing as flowers. Maybe Naruto shared the same perspective that he had on flowers… In which case the gift would be pointless and Naruto would not care for them.

"Temari said it always worked…" the redhead mumbled a bit, hiding the dejection behind his sullen voice.

Naruto looked at the red head a bit longer, his lips parted a bit in surprise at the comment. The flowers, though a nice thought, were not exactly the kind of gift that he would have liked to receive… that any man would like to receive in fact…

It was really only a girl thing… Girls liked flowers and thus they enjoyed it when their boyfriends doted on them with such things. Naruto was not a girl and did not particularly enjoy flowers outside of their scent…

Though he couldn't help but become attracted to the brightly colored orange flowers. It was his favorite color after all.

According to Gaara though, Temari must have clued Gaara into the ideas of what boyfriends and girlfriends did, because he was fairly certain that the redhead did not know where to start in a relationship such as this. It's much more complicated than that of simple friendship.

He felt the corner of his mouth twitch as he tried to smile at Gaara's misunderstanding. He didn't have the heart to tell him that the circumstances were a little bit different with boys and boys dating than with boys and girls.

Instead, he felt himself reaching up and accepting the bouquet that was forcefully placed into his face.

He felt Gaara's hand retract instantly and the red head jumped into the room too quickly for Naruto to catch a glimpse of his face. If he had been paying attention he would have seen the small tuft of color that crossed the pale skin of Gaara's cheeks.

Gaara was happy that Naruto had accepted his gift to him, even though it was obvious that Gaara had messed something up. Apparently, Temari had been wrong about flowers "always working."

Gaara made his way into the kitchen to where Naruto had spilled his ramen. Naruto silently followed the red head, not sure of what to say.

"Well… the orange ones are nice I guess," he decided to assure the red head that the gift was not bad… It was just… not necessary was a nice way to put it. He looked down at the bright colors filling his hands.

"They mean 'desire'," Naruto looked up at the words and found Gaara standing firm and tall, slightly facing Naruto. The blonde found himself admiring the way Gaara was so passionate in his body language. His face may not be able to express much at times, such as now, but it was admirable…

How in one fraction of a second the former murderer and host for the blood thirsty demon Shukaku could be emotionally broken and anxiously awaiting approval, then the next he was standing tall with an intense stare, back straight and shoulders back, arms hanging loosely and his eyes holding everything within his gaze captive…

Naruto opened his eyes a little when he realized that Gaara had gotten those specific colors of flower for a reason.

_Desire_…

Gaara loved Naruto… but he also desired him because he did not have Naruto. Naruto was unsure if Gaara was aware of this situation or not. The red head had seemed too overwhelmed to take in the circumstances of Naruto's acceptance in the blonde's eyes. Apparently he was wrong and suddenly he felt guilty for dating the redhead without having concrete feelings about him.

Naruto looked up at Gaara and frowned a bit at the comment.

Sakura or Sasuke… Who should he side with in this matter? What was the right choice…?

"Gaara…" he began. He would make no decision without first knowing Gaara's thoughts about the situation. "What do you think about this…? About us I mean…" He clarified.

Naruto felt Gaara's eyes had never looked so human as they did in that moment. He didn't look inhumanly calm or collected, but instead he looked thoughtful.

The red head's position relaxed a bit as his eyes cast to the ground as he rummaged his brain and his heart for some sort of acceptable answer. Naruto watched him intently as his future decision would most likely be influenced by this.

"I've… No, _we've_ been through some bad things in our lives…" he began, closing his dark circled eyes. "We've experienced great deals of pain…" The pause was long, but neither of them realized it, both too involved in their own thoughts and empathetic reasoning.

"But I'm willing to feel this pain again." Naruto looked up to find Gaara looking at the ceiling and Naruto briefly wondered what he was looking at. This was not something he was expecting from the red head.

Gaara's speeches were always clouded with confusion, rage, and sadness… But this almost sounded as if he were attempting to move on from all that connected them; splitting them from being destined foils and into his own person. He was establishing himself in this world that they shared.

"I'm willing to feel pain, sadness… and joy," this word was said softly and Naruto wondered if this was the hardest emotion for the red head to be able to accept because it meant he had to forget. "Because I have someone to share it with."

The power of love was an incredible thing. It was strong enough to push people to their limits and do things they never thought possible, even if they were hard.

Naruto knew that Gaara understood that he did not have the same feeling for Gaara as the red head had for him… But yet, according to his words… he would go through pain and sadness again because Naruto was there with him, giving him a chance to find joy…

Naruto felt that Gaara should be angry at the situation, being in an unrequited relationship… Instead, he was content with it!

It was then that Naruto realized how little he knew about love, if it was that powerful. He himself wasn't sure that if he was in a relationship with someone who didn't love him his heart could take it… Gaara was a tough cookie.

However… the answer had not helped him in the least. Gaara was content with things the way they were, but Naruto felt that they were wrong. The words hadn't altered his perspective at all.

He felt bad about this. He felt like this relationship was wrong somehow… Wrong place, wrong time… And it sucked for Naruto that Gaara felt everything was perfectly fine even though it wasn't.

A relationship wasn't supposed to be one sided… It just wasn't fair for the other person and Naruto felt horrible that he was the person who was being unfair. He was being unfair to a good friend and someone who did not need to have anymore hurt or destruction in his life…

If he just ended it all now… It would be okay, right?

Gaara would be happier this way, right?

"Neh… Gaara…?" Naruto started. Gaara turned to face him fully, his face blank as ever.

And suddenly, Naruto felt his thoughts freeze with his lips. His mouth went dry with hesitation…

Why did he hesitate? What was he having second thoughts about? … He decided it would be the best thing right?

When he met those green eyes, he just couldn't say it… Something in his gut held him off.

Minutes passed, but the blonde couldn't tell. All there was were the two ninja and the silent air that hung between them.

"Yes," Gaara tried to coax Naruto to say what he had wanted, the word coming out as more of a statement than the stimulating question it was meant to be.

Naruto blinked and let out another frown. The blonde's indecisiveness was unnerving to the redhead as it was not typical Naruto behavior. It meant that something was troubling his blonde boyfriend and he wondered if it had to do with his previous question; the one about the two of them.

The thought of Naruto leaving him at this point in the game didn't bother him mentally as much as he thought it would… but he couldn't help the horrible jump that his heart he was coming to learn existed gave.

Naruto looked up at him again with those blue eyes and he could see the blonde was going to say something, but a sudden call from the outside saved the blonde from the dilemma he had put himself in.

"Naruto!" the familiar voice called and Naruto was sure he had never been happier to hear Sakura's voice saving him from the intense gaze of his boyfriend. He looked apologetically at Gaara who was slightly annoyed by this situation.

The anxiety was _horrible_.

Naruto turned to go over to his balcony that lead out from his bed room and answer the pink haired girl, when he stopped in his tracks. This had to be settled in Naruto's mind and it was unfair of him to leave Gaara hanging like he had.

He looked over his shoulder at the red head who was waiting patiently on the surface, though his impatient inner self was pacing.

"We'll continue this later, okay?" the blonde reassured Gaara that their conversation would not be lost and Gaara seemed content with this answer, crossing his arms over his chest and giving a nod.

Naruto gave him a fox-like smile, eyes squinting and a little wave as he retreated to the balcony as his friend resounded another call for him.

…

When Naruto arrived at the edge of his balcony, he was met with an impatient look on two familiar faces. There was a blonde and a "pinkette" poised with hands on hips as they waited for him to come outside.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out and waved with a goofy face at his feminine crush. The girls' face lightened up a bit as she saw Naruto arrive. The blonde looked a little less thrilled as she wasn't even addressed. Sakura felt some sense of victory over Ino in this issue. It was always nice to one up her best friend.

"Naruto!" she addressed him in return as he leaned over the balcony to engage in a more personal conversation.

"Hehe, what's up?" he grinned at her.

"Not much. We were just wondering if you were going to the festival tonight!" she shouted up at the blonde who's ears perked up at the word 'festival.'

"Festival?" he questioned himself silently. "There's a festival?! How come I didn't know about it!?" he cried absolutely horrified, standing up suddenly and clasping the sides of his head dramatically.

Naruto _loved_ festivals. Festivals meant there were games, lots of food which included Ichiraku's ramen, and of course the fireworks. He remembered one year he played a prank with those and replaced a few of them with a special concoction of fireworks that created a large dragon in the sky and moved towards the crowd before it dissipated. It scared quite a few people, but he had gotten a kick out of it.

"The flyers have been up all over Konoha for the past two weeks!" Ino shouted up at him, holding up one of said flyers.

"Remember you were training with Jiraiya-sama for two weeks? They put the posters up the day after you left," Sakura explained to the blonde boy above her attempting to bring him out of his silly hysteria.

"Oh," Naruto said with realization, relaxing a bit, a sigh of relief in tow.

"So are you coming or not?" Sakura persisted, finally able to get an answer out of her teammate.

"Of course I'm com-," he began to reply immediately, but stopped earning him an odd look from the two girls below him. He gave a quick glance back into his apartment where he saw the back of a red head who was currently interested in something or other that adorned his dresser.

Suna was a three day travel from Konoha and it was quite obvious that the red head had no business in the leaf village other than to visit his less than enthusiastic boyfriend. There was no way that his conscience would allow him to ditch Gaara for the festival.

…

But he _really_ wanted to go to that festival!

He supposed he could bring Gaara along for the adventure. However, the chances of the red head actually enjoying himself were slim to none… But it couldn't hurt to ask, right?

While the blonde was having problems making up his mind a quickly growing impatient pink haired ninja tapped her foot waiting for her teammate to make up his mind. She rolled her eyes when the blonde made a strange face of what appeared to be dread and held up a finger to indicate to her to wait. She wasn't sure what was taking him so long to decide…

Promptly, Naruto ran into his apartment, the not so quiet noise of his feet drawing the attention of Gaara who had been carefully examining the blonde's picture of Team 7 on his night stand. The red head was startled by the sudden hastiness, though he still appeared calm. It had him on his toes, though when he realized there was no eminent danger, he eased the ready sand.

Naruto paused and met with Gaara's eyes to make sure the red head was with him and that his words would be heard.

"Do you want to go to a festival with me tonight?" Naruto asked. He realized that as he said it, the words could be construed as having a 'date' with Gaara. However, the reaction of his "boyfriend," put his heart to rest as Gaara merely blinked and responded with an, "It does not matter."

Naruto guessed that Gaara did not perceive his proposal as a date, which was perfectly fine with the blonde. What was not fine with him though was Gaara's indifference to the matter. It seemed to be that Gaara was laying down and letting Naruto do all the deciding.

That bothered the blonde. He felt as though the red head should start making some decisions of his own when it came to Naruto. Gaara had pretty much established that he wanted to stay with Naruto, but was leaving it up to the blonde what should happen… Even with the festival… It was the same thing.

Naruto frowned at this answer.

"No. I need a 'yes' or a 'no' from _you_," he stated firmly. His tone surprised the red head.

Gaara had been on the down low with this relationship, not wanting to say anything wrong or make a decision that could put this bond in ruins… But if Naruto was going to force him to…

"Yes," he said suddenly and the blonde's face relaxed and he gave him a smile that Gaara hadn't seen in a while and he felt his stomach flip involuntarily. The blonde was excited by this development as it allowed him to go to the festival and it also provided him with a chance to soften the blow of what he was to lay to the red head. Let him have some fun and let him down with no hard feelings. That was the plan.

… If he could say it…

He ran back out to Sakura and Ino, who were almost ready to leave and just wait and see if the blonde would show up later that night when said blonde came stumbling out of the doors to his balcony and nearly fell over the railing, catching himself in the gut.

He looked down at Sakura and gave her that infamous trademark smile that made everyone want to believe in him and flashed her a thumbs up as an "all systems go."

Sakura smiled in return, pleased that her teammate would be joining them that night, though she would never tell the striped faced boy.

"Good! Then we'll come around at dusk and pick you up, okay?" she said in a sweet voice before Ino grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her off, an annoyed Sakura wrenching herself free and turning to start a glare and naming contest with her feminine friend.

Naruto was excited for the festival. He couldn't wait to have Ichiraku's famous festival special edition ramen that he only puts out during days of festivals! He all but giggled with glee as he entered his home to meet with Gaara once more.

When he entered his face fell a bit when he looked at the dark clothes that Gaara was wearing and the red head felt himself become defensive as he was scrutinized under the disapproving gaze of his companion.

"Hmmm…" Naruto thought aloud as he tapped a finger to one of his scarred cheeks. The dark colors of the clothing weren't really what bothered him… It was just the clothes… They just weren't… "festivy." Something needed to be done about this otherwise he was quite certain that Gaara wouldn't have the full enjoyment of the festival.

"What are you looking at," Gaara said defensively, causing Naruto to wince a bit at his tone.

"I'm looking at your clothes… You can't wear those to a festival…" Naruto put it bluntly for the red head causing said red head to look down at his attire with confusion.

Nothing was torn up and there weren't any stains on them as far as he could see. In fact, his clothes looked nearly pristine compared to Naruto's own tattered and gaudy orange jumpsuit. He didn't see what the problem was and ended up looking up at Naruto with a slight glare of confusion.

Naruto, recognizing the confusion through the murderous stare, dismissed the look and proceeded to clarify for the red head.

"It's got nothing to do with the way your clothes look!" he shouted and waved his hands as a sign for Gaara to back off. "What you need is a _yukata_."

"A… yukata?" Gaara said almost uncertainly. He's seen yukata's on other people when they attended the far and few festivals in Suna, however, he himself had never gotten to wear one since he was not allowed outside during such times as it would ruin the night for the people.

At times like that, Yashamaru would invent miniature festivals for Gaara and the two would enjoy the nights as such… but his version of a yukata was an oversized shirt he used for pretend.

He had always wondered what it would be like to wear one…

"Mm!" Naruto nodded his head; his eyes squinted much like a fox's, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I do not own such a thing," Gaara said, his head turned to the side unintentionally as his eyes softened in thought. He was a little disappointed that he would not be able to wear a yukata at his first festival.

"Heh! That's okay; I've got one you can wear!" Naruto stated proudly and Gaara's disappointment vanished like a mirage at the last second. The red head's eyes widened a 

bit in surprise and mild excitement, however the brief glimpse of his child like astonishment was quickly wiped off his stoic face… That didn't mean that Naruto hadn't saw it.

In fact, Naruto was even more enthused that Gaara didn't seem to dislike the idea of the yukata. It was a step in the right direction at least.

"Hold on one second," he said to the red head, flashing one last grin before retreating to a closet. The closet was quickly emptied as the blonde tossed many clothes out of the space and onto the floor behind him as he searched for his yukatas.

The red head was slightly bewildered at the fact that Naruto didn't simply push his hung clothing to the side in his search instead of creating a mess… It was a wonder that the blonde's apartment was decently clean.

"Aha!" came the cry from the closet as the orange clad boy emerged with two yukatas. One was a bright sunny orange with a blue spiral smack dab in the middle of it. The red head resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Naruto's obvious choice, though the fleeting thought of Naruto insisting on him wear it caused him to think up of a back up death threat.

The other one however, was fairly plain. It was a deep navy blue and deep sea green vertical stripped yukata. Plain and simple. Gaara opted that should he be given a choice of either, he would most definitely pick this one.

Naruto seemed to immediately note Gaara's preference… Not that he was going to let him wear his favorite orange yukata anyhow…

"Here, you can use my bathroom," Naruto held out the article of clothing and Gaara blinked in response, studying the fabric as if he had never seen one before. After a moment of Naruto's patience, a hesitant hand reached forward and gently took the yukata into its master's custody, holding it close before swiftly retreating to the bathroom.

Naruto watched Gaara enter the bathroom, shutting the door with a quiet click. He smiled at Gaara's inexperienced nature… It was- dare he say- _cute_, at some times.

Seriously though… Sometimes he wondered what went on in that red head of his when he donned his quiet and hesitant expression. Sure he had an idea of _why_ Gaara was the way he was… They were the same after all… But he wondered what he really _thought_. What he was _feeling_. He could only guess since he had some vague background information, but that was the extent of a person's abilities to comprehend one another.

It was a few minutes before the red head emerged from the behind the door. He did so, ever so cautiously, Naruto noted in a somewhat shy manner, though one would never depict such a thing from his flat face.

Once fully out of the bathroom, Naruto gave a once over before sucking in a breath. He had to admit, man or not, the yukata looked pretty damn good on the red head. He had been slightly doubtful about the choice upon seeing it, thinking it would contrast with the sand ninja's hair and would appear too feminine upon his fleshy form.

However, the green stripes really brought out his eyes, causing them to be even more alluring than before. And instead of clinging to his features, the neckline made him appear more masculine as the loose fit fell over his shoulders, masking his arms and waist line to appear more manly.

Naruto gave a smile and a thumb of approval. The girls would be all over Gaara in this getup… especially since it seemed to somehow tone down his man killing aura.

However, much to Naruto's disappointment, the red head blinked and scrunched his face at the material as he looked at it.

"I don't like it…" he said simply, deciding that his years missing out on a yukata were not going to be missed… The fabric was too scratchy and it did not give him the support where he needed it. He felt naked in the light material…

Naruto watched the red head mindlessly tug at a sleeve and Naruto frowned at him.

"So what are you going to wear then?" the blonde crossed his arms across his chest.

"My clothes," Gaara stated nonchalantly as he retreated to the bathroom once more to change.

"But you can't wear just _your _clothes! Think of the festival! It's tradition! You've _gotta_ wear a yukata, Gaara!" the blonde tried to fight the red head's decision. It was going to bother him if the red head didn't follow the sacred tradition. It was the only time he really got to dress up and look good for Sakura so he took it more seriously than necessary.

However, Gaara didn't really care what the blonde thought about the idea of him wearing his normal attire. The yukata was too scratchy and loose for him and he was not going to let his boyfriend decide what he was going to wear.

He did not surrender to anyone…

Or so he told himself. Naruto seemed to have a pretty decent hold on his chain.

114

Naruto was shifting around in his seat at his kitchen table. His eyes scrambled for something to look at other than the wood that supported his twiddling thumbs and the quiet red head who sat across from him, staring intently as if he had nothing better to do.

After his failed attempts to get his boyfriend to wear something traditional to the festival, he had resorted to try for small talk and for once- considering his mind was too full of knots and anticipation concerning what he had planned to do in Gaara's best interest later that night- he had nothing to say.

He didn't particularly care to talk about his recent problems with Sasuke either. It was none of the red heads concern.

Nor was he about ready to talk about their earlier discussion… He still needed to word over in his head what he was going to say to the red head to let him down gently…

Naruto looked up at Gaara and squinted through his eyes, his lips drawn tightly to the bottom corners of his mouth. It was quite obvious he was tense.

"Neh, Gaara… Do you want something to eat?" That was always the best way to start a conversation.

"No… Thank you," the red head seemed to add on the last part after careful consideration of his words. He did not appear to be displeased at all and Naruto wondered if Gaara would even mind if he went and read some comics or scrolls while they waited for Ino and Sakura.

As patient and seemingly calm as the red head was, he was all a flit inside his head. In fact his eyes were fairly glazed over, allowing no emotions to cross the barrier of his eyes.

It had occurred to Gaara sometime later, that Naruto had asked Gaara to join him to this festival… Meaning, this could possibly be their first date. For some reason unbeknownst to Gaara, his stomach pleasantly flipped at this and his heart left his chest… But at the same time, it greatly irked him.

He wasn't sure why, but the thought of being on something so silly irritated him… Embarrassed him a little, but lord knew he would never tell Naruto. The blonde had asked him to come and if he knew the blonde, which he was sure he did, if he had refused his invitation Naruto would have skipped the festival in politeness to spend time with Gaara.

He did not want to deprive his favorite blonde of happiness.

So instead, the two sat in silence… An awkward sort of silence that was unbecoming of the two seeing as how they normally enjoyed each other's company and instead were finding themselves feeling… _uncomfortable_, in each other's presence.

However, both were saved from their atmosphere when a feminine call rang through the open window and there was a skid of a chair on the floor as the blonde shot up from his spot, eager to leave the area in favor of a more comforting aura.

Naruto made it to his balcony, leaning over the railing and waving at the two girls below who he could immediately tell looked nice.

"Sa-ku-ra-chan!" he sang. Ino closed her eyes in a bit of annoyance at her once again dismissal.

"Hurry up, Naruto! We want to catch the start of the festival!" the blonde girl yelled out, placing her hands on her hips. Naruto puffed up his face in retaliation at her hurriedness.

"We're coming!" he shouted back and turned around, heading back inside to grab Gaara, lock up, and leave.

Ino and Sakura turned to look at each other, noting something odd about the simple response that was given to them.

"_We're_?"

Their question was answered not moments later when Naruto came down the stairs, his bright orange yukata easy to pinpoint was left open in the front, allowing part of his chest to be exposed.

However, behind him tailed a bright red mop of hair that was familiar to both girls.

"Ah, Gaara-kun!" Sakura smiled in recognition as the two walked towards the boys exiting the stairway. Gaara's eyes flicked towards the pink haired girl who had her hair up in a bun and was wearing a modest looking pink yukata with cherry blossom petals decorating it, true to her name. He acknowledged her presence.

"Ah! It's you!" Ino said not a second after Sakura had confirmed the "we." Sakura and Naruto looked at the blonde who was a little surprised to see the red head again.

She blinked when all eyes were on her and then gave a smile that seemed to have a hint of a smirk in it.

"I sold Gaara-kun some flowers earlier today. I just didn't expect to see you so soon," she turned her head to the side, a slight blush on her face.

Sakura looked back and forth between all three members of their party. If Gaara had gotten flowers… That most certainly meant they had gone to Naruto, which also meant that the blonde hadn't broken up with him yet… She'd have to talk to him later seeing as 

how the blonde was taking him to the festival and getting the red head's hopes up even more.

"Hello again," he nodded to confirm that their meeting did happen. Naruto stiffened a bit at the mention of the flowers; however his mind drifted off at the sight of Sakura in her yukata. She looked beautiful that evening as the sun was drifting towards the horizon to dip below and give way to the moon.

"Hehe… You're yukata looks prettier than any of Ino's flowers," he blushed a bit, near drooling in perverted thoughts of his crush and teammate.

Not any sooner did the words come out of his mouth, did he have a fist in his face.

"Uwaa!" was similar to the sound he made as he spun in the air and hit the ground face first. Gaara watched this display in curiosity… He wasn't sure what Naruto had said to deserve the punch… All he had done was offer a compliment.

"_Naruto_! How could you _say_ something like that in front of your _lover_?!" she wailed at him. The fire of righteousness in her eyes burned brightly and Naruto rolled over on his back, sitting up a bit and cupping his abused cheek.

This scene was just all too familiar for him. However… he was just caught in the act of flirting in front of someone he had agreed to have a relationship with… The wave of guilt surrounding him was apparent on his face as he looked down at the ground, embarrassed that Sakura had basically announced to the world that he was in a gay relationship.

Not something he wanted Konoha to know about… Not that he was embarrassed of Gaara or anything, but… He wasn't ready for disapproval yet after he's worked so hard to gain acceptance.

"I wouldn't quite call him that…" he mumbled under his breath as he stood up and brushed off his favorite yukata, not looking up from the ground.

"It's nice."

Naruto heard the silky voice beside him and he glanced over, expecting to see hurt in those green eyes. However, he was met with the same stare as always: stoic face and warm eyes that were used only for him.

He tilted his head a bit in confusion, not sure as to what he was getting at.

"Her yukata," Gaara looked ahead of himself now. "It's nice."

Naruto's eyes widened a bit as he realized what Gaara was trying to say…

It was his brief and in "not so many words" way of forgiving him for straying. Naruto had attempted to flirt with someone who was not his own partner and in any normal relationship, the flirter would most likely have been in serious trouble.

Naruto was lucky to have Gaara… The red head seemed to be ready to forgive Naruto for just about everything, or so it appeared to be for the blonde.

However… It wasn't that Gaara was ready to keel over for everything the blonde did wrong, even though that fact itself was quite true. The reason he had to decided to pass by this slip up was because it was minor and because most of all… Gaara knew how big of a change this was for Naruto.

Dating a man when it was painfully obvious that the blonde had feelings for the pink haired ninja and that doubly made Gaara so gratuitous towards the blonde… He wanted Naruto to be Naruto and to have a bit of freedom.

Though… He also knew that Naruto had no commitment to him and as much as he wanted Naruto to be able to do what he wants…

Gaara wanted Naruto.

Plain and simple and he would like a decisive answer from the blonde…

When Naruto had decided to date Gaara, he had made it fairly clear that he had no romantic current feelings for him and that he would see if they develop in time. That Gaara was worth the shot.

And as grateful as Gaara was for this gift of trial, he also did not want to live in question and was being patient with the blonde as he sorted out his feelings for the red head.

Naruto flashed Gaara a smile which he knew was received because the red head turned his eyes away from the blonde ninja in slight embarrassment.

"Lovers?" Ino questioned and looked at Sakura for details, which the female ninja looked all too happy to give. It was one of the first signs that Sakura would eventually realize her fetish for gay relationships.

Sakura nodded happily.

"Naruto and Gaara-kun are now, an _item_," she crossed her fingers to relay a physical meaning to her friend and she watched the blonde's blue eyes light up in realization.

"What? No way!" This was quite a shock to Ino. She had taken Naruto as a lot of things… But gay was not one of them. He seemed to fawn over Sakura like it was in his job description, though she supposed it was always the ones that appeared to be overly straight that weren't straight at all…

She let her eyes drift to the quietest member of the group who had his head turned away, the color under his cheeks masked with sand. She may not have been able to see the blush, but she was quite certain he was embarrassed by the announcement and couldn't help, but giggle.

Who would've thought? Naruto and Gaara of all people… Just about a year ago the two were at each other's throats, dueling it out for the sake of the world. She supposed stranger things could happen…

"Well, good luck to you two I suppose," Ino stated, not sure what else to say. Gaara nodded in response and Naruto looked particularly pale as she said her wishes to them.

"S-sa! Well, let's get going! Don't want to miss the festival!" Naruto announced, trying to urge the conversation about his romantic experiences in a different direction. He was not particularly comfortable with discussing this situation in an open group.

No one was supposed to know except Sasuke and Sakura and obviously the two involved in the relationship… Now Ino knew which meant Shikamaru and Chouji would soon know, not that he was worried about either of them telling anyone else, but Ino's mouth could travel if she found the news interesting enough…

He hoped to whatever higher being there was that whoever found out didn't have a problem with it. Otherwise he would have a lot of trouble on his hands.

Sakura nodded and walked up next to Naruto, leaving Ino and Gaara to trail behind and as much as Naruto would normally have loved to have Sakura next to him, he was currently scared out of his mind as her eminent death aura was being directed at him with the most intimidating look she could procure. His face went blue with dread.

…

Thankfully, the festival was just a few minutes down the road into the center of Konoha. The streets along the way were decorated with red and white lanterns and banners with beautiful gold letters, bringing life to the dusty streets.

Gaara was feeling a little more than nervous for what awaited. Having never been at a festival, he wasn't quite sure what to expect. He knew there were games and food and special attractions… But would the people mind him being there?

Naruto was also nervous; for once he was done with the night since he had to break the news of their relationship to the ex-psychopath. He still had no idea how to do it… But… There was this terrible nagging in the back of his head, about what Sasuke said…

He was sure he had never been more confused about what he wanted to do… But this wasn't about him. It was about Gaara and what was best for the red head.

"Ah! Look at that!" Suddenly Sakura exclaimed as they entered the middle Konoha, where the open area was filled with wooden booths that contained various games, each with their own creative signs and decorations.

Lanterns hung from thin wires, providing light as the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting shadows and darkness over the busy village. Sparkling confetti rained from the skies as music of all sorts rang throughout the area accompanied by murmur of the immense crowd. A few ninja's performed acrobatics and jutsus for an amazed and applauding crowd, courtesy of the Hokage.

Various colorful yukatas decorated the ground as people moved about to find what suited their interests. Wonderful smells filled the surrounding area, drawing in the hungry and a specific blonde ninja who could not wait to find his favorite ramen stand and eat dinner.

It seemed _magical_.

"It's so pretty," Ino nodded in approval. Both girls' eyes lit up in childish hopes that they might come home with a prize as a symbol of a good night. It was every blossoming girl's dream to have someone win them a prize.

Gaara was quite impressed with the decorations for the festival. It was obvious that a lot of preparation had gone into setting up this fair. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he would see a festival past cut out paper flowers and a game made with old milk bottles and rings fortified from his sand.

But here he was and now that he was there, he didn't know what to do.

"So what do you want to do first, Gaara?" Gaara turned to face the owner of the voice. Naruto looked at him for direction, as much as he wanted to just seek out Ichiraku's festival ramen stand.

What did one do at a festival? Or what did he want to see? … He really just wanted to have the experience of having been to one. He looked up at Naruto and gave a small frown.

"What do you do? At a festival…" the redhead sounded unsure of himself.

"Hm… Well," Naruto decides to throw out a few ideas for his friend. "We could always go eat! Ichiraku's has an awesome super special secret recipe that only gets served at festivals!" he exclaimed, thinking he could take this to his advantage and satiate his need for his favorite food. He tried to reason with himself that it would be in Gaara's best interest since it would get the food out of the way and would leave the rest of the night for playing games and watching shows.

"I'm not hungry," Gaara said, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Naruto's face fall.

"You're never hungry, Gaara…" the blonde pouted and Sakura couldn't help, but giggle at her teammate's misfortune. Gaara however did not find this statement as amusing seeing as how it wasn't true. He just didn't have an extreme appetite since he wasn't prone to running around as much as the average ninja.

"I know! Let's go find the origami stand! I'm feeling creative tonight," Ino stated, not bothering to give anyone a choice… Not that any of them had a better idea. Sakura shrugged and followed after her blonde friend.

"Are you and Gaara-kun coming, Naruto?" the pink haired ninja paused when she realized that her teammate and his boyfriend weren't following. Her green eyes were given a warm glow from the lanterns that were lit like fireflies, giving a nice appeal to her yukata.

The blue eyed boy turned to face his red head, wordlessly asking him the question. Truthfully, Naruto was hoping for the answer he received which was a simple shrug of the arms.

Naruto turned back to his best female friend.

"I think we'll pass on that," Naruto admitted with a smile, eyes squinted even in the quickly darkening sky.

"Fine," there was a definite pout heard in her voice. "Then we'll see you at the fireworks?" she decided to plan ahead, turning slightly in the direction of Ino who was disappearing into the crowd. Naruto nodded and flashed her a thumbs up.

"You got it!" With that she smiled and gave a quick wave before yelling ferociously at the retreating blonde whom she had already lost sight of.

Naruto then turned to Gaara who looked at him expectantly for some sort of impromptu agenda.

"Hmm… Well, if you're not hungry, I say we hit up the games first," Naruto suggested with a nonchalant shrug. He wasn't particularly sure what Gaara would be interested in at the festival, when little did he know that Gaara was just enjoying the scenery and the experience of actually being within the bounds of a real festival.

Gaara nodded in agreement, deciding that whatever Naruto decided to do would be good enough for him. He wanted Naruto to enjoy himself while they were out together.

With the decision made, Naruto placed his hands behind his head and began walking over to a line of cluttered stands that were lined all over the streets and center. Each stand appeared to have a different game in it as the red head would soon learn.

It was quite interesting to see the games that the so called "normal" folk busy themselves with on occasions such as these. He also began to wonder how everyone found the patience to continue the games…

He in particular found one involving catching fish in a net frustrating… He must've spent about half of Naruto's offered money trying to catch the stupid thing, but the net kept breaking. He tried every technique he could think of. Moving swiftly only seemed to make it break faster, but if he was too slow the fish would flop around and break as well. He was almost positive it was rigged…

Eventually he was urged on by Naruto who was coming short on cash to go to a different stand.

He found no challenge in a dart throwing contest as a ninja who has been trained by the elite to make certain kill with a kunai. There was another interesting game that he had never seen… The stand keeper said he had come across the game while traveling in another country.

It looked simple enough, dip your head in the barrel of water and grab an apple with your mouth… It also made the people doing it look foolish and yet Naruto had insisted on him taking part in the ridiculous activity. It was when Naruto had pretended to give up and try to none to slyly shove Gaara's head into the bucket that the blonde had found himself sucking water. Gaara had immediately stepped aside and his sand had done the dirty work of shoving Naruto's head into the water as the blonde had planned to do to him.

Naruto didn't look too amused by this, but his face had lit up when the barest of smirks crossed Gaara's lips. He gave Gaara one of those nauseating smiles that just made the red head want to smile himself. Instead, he turned his head to the side and returned his stoic face.

After they had completed all the games that looked interesting enough for them to try, Gaara eventually caved and they stopped by Ichiraku's ramen stand, much to Naruto's delight. They stayed at the stand for at least an hour, not that it took them that long to finish their food… but Ayame was particularly chatty that night and would not let the two leave. More specifically, her attention had remained on Gaara the majority of the time they were there.

Walking away, Naruto had snickered and made a joking remark about Gaara being a "lady killer," which he had responded, much to the blonde's horror that yes, he had indeed killed women.

They had even gone so far as to stop by the performers stage and watch who both Genin recognized to be Izumo and Kotetsu performing some basic ninja abilities for the bewildered population of Konoha who were not ninja by order of the Hokage. Tsunade always had them do her dirty work.

Naruto had yelled out to the two and much to their embarrassment, he decided to liven up the stage by performing his infamous sexy no jutsu. Before the two guards had regained consciousness from a massive nosebleed, the two boys were nowhere in sight having chosen to duck into a nearby street while Naruto tried to subdue his laughter. Gaara hadn't quite found the humor in it, but Naruto appeared to be having fun so he supposed everything was okay.

The night was going by so fast… It was all just a blur to both ninja.

Despite his earlier worries, Naruto had been truly enjoying himself with his less than responsive partner. The admiral glow in those green eyes was worth all the money he had spent on games for him…

…

Was it worth it?

Would seeing that glow of "joy" in the eyes of his former self be worth the pain of hurting Gaara?

There was something about seeing the redhead look and try new things as if he were a child. He felt accomplished. It brought him joy, perhaps because in some way, they _were_ the same. For Naruto, it felt like he was looking at himself…

He wanted it.

He didn't understand why, but he was still torn about the idea of dumping Gaara before things go too serious for the boy from the sand. It should be quite easy to decide, but at the same time Gaara was his friend… And this would be the best for his friend, so he didn't get hurt… It wasn't like he loved Gaara or anything, that much he was still certain of…

…

… But then why would he feel this way?

Suddenly, everything came back to him and an enormously heavy block joined the ramen in his stomach.

Sakura's advice seemed to be better for the redhead. He's told himself this over and over again. However, there is a nagging in him that won't let it go.

Sasuke's advice seemed to be the best for the blonde. It was completely logical, he's told himself again and again. However, he couldn't help but realize that he wasn't attracted to Gaara in that manner.

This was all confusing to him and he felt frustrated that he couldn't decide.

Sasuke?

… Or Sakura?

With?

… Or without?

…

Naruto made a visible sign of depression, his normally bright blue eyes dimming as he looked gently at the ground by his feet. Gaara looked at his boyfriend out of the corner of his eye, furrowing a hairless brow in slight concern.

He was severely confused… Naruto's demeanor had been so different towards him all day. From the moment he showed up Naruto had been slightly nervous near him, causing the redhead to tense up as well. The environment that Naruto had always created for him whenever he was around, the one that gave him the hope and confidence to believe he was normal was suddenly frozen and unfamiliar.

It was like the two had never met before and Gaara had felt silly…

During the festival, Naruto had seemed content with drowning himself in ramen, games, and pranks. The sudden change in behavior shocked Gaara a bit, however he decided to go along with it since the blonde was behaving more like himself, casting him soft glances and flashing him smiles… An occasional brush of the hands had sent Gaara blushing like a fool.

And as much as the blonde appeared to be having fun, he couldn't help but feel that something was still bothering him. The sudden fallen face was an indication that he was correct.

This was not typical Naruto behavior and he was beginning to worry slightly… He couldn't let anything happen to Naruto, his first friend and first love…

The anxiousness that something could be wrong with Naruto had begun to pool in the pit of his abdomen all day and he was beginning to get the jitters, his instincts telling him that everything would come to a head very soon… and he wasn't so sure he wanted to be there when it did...

Naruto cast a long sideways glance at his good friend.

Sasuke?

…

Or Sakura?

… Why couldn't he make up his mind?!

Gaara said nothing to the sullen looking ninja who noticed that the redhead had been looking at him. He may not have been a mind reader, but he was sure that he was being questioned.

The red head was quite easy to read despite his stoic look, though he supposed that could be argued. The thought caused Naruto to smile smugly and he found himself reaching for one of the pale hands of his boyfriend.

The sudden motion made Gaara retract briefly and he looked up from the sun kissed hand that dared to touch his own, looking into those blue eyes that made him want to look into the sun and melt in with the sand of his own desert.

Sensing the distress, Naruto felt even more compelled to smile.

"Come on," he spoke and Gaara couldn't help but wonder why of all times he was suddenly drawn to Naruto's lips.

In his moment of wonder he had allowed Naruto to take hold of his hand, pulling him gently in the direction of one of the buildings.

All the sand ninja could do was look at the hand that was darker than his own, holding his fingers firmly, but oh so softly…

His heart leapt.

The night was drawing to a close as it midnight stretched out to begin the fireworks as a symbol of the end of the festivities.

Gaara noticed this as they passed by the stage in which Naruto had caused his little fiasco with his naked woman technique and in place of performers were a series of fireworks that were ready to be lit off.

And as he recalled, Naruto had promised his teammate, Sakura, that they would join her and her blonde flower arranging friend to watch the plays in the sky. However… as he noted, they were heading away from where the crowd was moving…

Not that he minded terribly that Naruto was dragging him away, but his curiosity and anxiety was killing him by this point.

"Naruto… Where are you taking me?" He did not like surprises so much to be perfectly honest, but with Naruto he supposed he could handle it, though he did not fail to hide the furrowing of his brow and the slightly exasperated tone in his voice.

Naruto gave no reply and continued to guide the red headed Genin to one of the nearby rooftops. It was a familiar scene to Gaara… the rooftop that is. It's where he spent most of his nights and here he was, going to spend yet another, but one that he hoped would be more magical.

As they reached the top of one of the empty houses of Konoha, a cool breeze blew in from the North, causing their locks to be brushed from their faces, soothing their foreheads with a feather light kiss.

The rooftops upon which they occupied were dim and appeared even more so due to the bright glow in the distance where the festival continued on.

Naruto had a far off look in his eyes as he looked towards the sky. Gaara wanted to be there wherever he was at the moment and instead was stuck in reality wondering where his companion had drifted off to.

"Gaara…" Naruto's voice started softly. Gaara did not take his eyes off of the blonde who began to sit.

Now was as good a time as any to tell Gaara he supposed. He heard a quite shuffle as his boyfriend gracefully took a seat next to him, though he moved his gaze to the glowing in the distance.

"It's starting," he announced and Naruto blinked in a brief moment of confusion and looked in the direction of Gaara's gaze in time to see a quick streak of light head off into the pitch black sky followed by a loud whistling sound.

"Ah!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. His confession would have to wait till later.

One after another and of many different colors the flames went up into the sky and exploded, creating a thousand tiny stars that drifted off and faded from the sky. The loud rumble of the explosion left an impression in their stomachs.

There was always something miraculous about the way fireworks always had a hidden song within their fire. The beat in which they burst and the crackle in which they fall…

A few at first… and then more.

And as they continue to go off together, the more there were, the more their song could be heard. It was a lullaby in the eyes of the wondered and amazed.

Captivating…

The tiny stars and their song… They called to everyone.

… Drawing them in, luring them to their dreams…

Naruto couldn't say why, but amidst the marvelous display in the sky he found himself turning to face his red headed lover.

His pale skin was illuminated by the brief and fleeting light and his eyes reflected the song in the sky, the bursts mimicking in his soft green pools.

Gaara felt a strange sensation of eyes on him and he turned to see a look on the blonde that he had never seen before. It was slightly unnerving and he felt himself caught in Naruto's half lidded gaze.

Blue eyes fell to half mast and glazed over in an emotion that Gaara had yet to pinpoint.

It was then that he realized that the blonde's face was drifting closer towards him, his eyes fluttering shut and his lips partially parted, inviting him. And like the spell of the fireworks he found himself too moving closer, eyes wide in the uncertainty of the situation.

Suddenly Naruto was close, too close. Gaara could feel his warm breath, heating his own waiting lips and his heart stopped he was sure…

He felt cornered… Constricted… Scared… yet unable to break away…

…

… _Naruto_...!

At the last second he turned his head to the side choosing to look at the rooftop under his feet as the warm lips connected with his cheek and he tensed.

He could tell Naruto was looking at him now, however he was unsure of how to respond in situations like this… What did one say?

Instead, as he fumbled for words he slowly drew up his knees to his chest, holding them there with his arms as he turned his head away in embarrassment, hiding a blush, as his boyfriend awaited for some kind of acknowledgement.

"You didn't need to do that," was all he could think of.

He heard a small chuckle and the rustle of clothes as Naruto shifted his position, leaning back on his arms and staring up at the sky.

"I wanted to…" the blonde admitted taking note of how Gaara held himself just a tad bit closer at the words.

Silence fell between the two as the final of the display was reached with a final bang. As the crackle dissipated and silence was restored to the night, Naruto felt it was now or never.

"Come back with me tonight," he said simply, causing the red head to turn his head a bit in Naruto's direction, slightly surprised at the comment. "I had fun with you tonight."

There was no lie in that.

"Naruto…" Gaara wasn't sure what the blonde was getting at with such foolish statements. Foolish as they were, they felt good to be told.

"_I'm willing to feel pain, sadness… and joy, because I have someone to share it with."_

"_Neh… Gaara…?"_

"_Yes."_

"_We'll continue this later, okay?"_

"What I wanted to say before," Naruto sighed, trying to figure out how to put it. Gaara waited patiently on the edge of his seat.

Sasuke?

…

Or Saukra?

…

He decided to screw them both.

Shaking his head with a newfound strength and decision he looked firmly at Gaara who stared back with dark rimmed eyes.

"I'm not in love with you, Gaara," he finally got it out in the open. When his boyfriend tensed, fearing the worst he continued his explanation.

"But," he emphasized, watching from the corner of his eye, the size of Gaara's eyes softening from their widened state. "I think I might."

Naruto recalled his hesitation in leaving Gaara before… It was the only explanation he could come up with.

Gaara was terribly confused at the moment, but decided to let Naruto speak his mind and then deal with the details of what he meant later.

The blue eyed ninja turned to face Gaara, his face firm and commanding.

"Stay for three weeks… Stay. If I don't feel any different for you before then, we'll call this off." He kept a straight face. "I don't want to get your hopes up… But at the same time I want to give you a chance."

He didn't want to hurt Gaara… but he didn't want to leave him… Not just yet. Something in his gut told him to hold on and by Tsunade that's what he was going to do.

He wasn't going to listen to anyone else's opinions on the matter… If he was going to make a decision, he would do it like a man and make it on his own. How else was he going to be Hokage?

For some reason, the situation scared Gaara. The thought of losing Naruto unnerved him, but at the same time he would be able to spend nearly a month with Naruto, something he's never been able to do and has only day dreamed of being able to, and possibly win that love he felt for the blonde.

What should he say to that?

Nothing.

A nod was all he could manage as he mulled over the idea in his red head.

A wave of relief hit Naruto. He couldn't believe that Gaara had actually gone along with the idea. All of that time spent worrying was definitely worth the dumfounded look on Gaara's face.

Suddenly, Naruto let out a laugh. Gaara sent him a look for the gesture, but he couldn't find the initiative to stop his laughter.

He just felt so much _lighter_!

Eventually he calmed down, his laughter dying down to a few wispy breaths much to Gaara's delight. He never found the humor in many things that Naruto deemed hilarious.

"Just so you know, don't expect any sort of romantic lovey dovey stuff. I'm not really into that," Naruto grimaced slightly at the thought. "Especially since I'm going to be Hokage some day! I can't be seen doing anything that's weak!" He said the last part with a bright smile and a thumbs up in his own direction, looking directly at Gaara. In actuality he just couldn't imagine doing such things with a man, though he supposed if things work out in Gaara's favor, he'd have to get used to it.

Gaara nodded. He seemed to have a better hold on the situation.

"I… wasn't hoping there would be…" Gaara admitted. As much as he would love the contact, he still wasn't quite used to it and anything of the sort without proper mental and emotional preparation might weird himself out.

Naruto watched Gaara blush from the corner of his eye and couldn't help the small smile that crept to his face.

It was a while before either of them moved, choosing to sit in the silence that was no long the uncomfortable environment that it was earlier that day.

The soothing and relaxing feeling that the two shared when with one another, was once again present.

Everything just felt right.

Just right.

000

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Next Chapter: Shougi

A/N: I got REALLY lazy with the end of this chapter if you couldn't tell. I basically cut out the whole festival except the fireworks (hey! I'm entitled to be lazy after 270 something pages! :D). I guess I got antsy since I haven't updated in about 3 months. -.-

Man… I can't believe I've actually gotten this far with the fic ;.; It's kind of sad thinking about it. I have about 3 or 4 more chapters planned for this and then it's over!! On one side I'll be relieved from writing so much, and at the same time I'll miss the fic greatly and all of your wonderful reviews : ) Who knows? Maybe I'll do a sequel though if I'm motivated. But that won't be for a while considering how long it takes me to update. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the fic so far and I'm thrilled you've stuck with it! Can't wait to read your reviews for this chapter! : ) Gaara in a yukata is hot shit.

And oh Tsunade the irony of your situation. XD


	10. UPDATE

A/N: WOOOOOOOOOOWWWW... It has been forever since I updated this, but I have finally graduated from college and will be updating this fic again. I have to reread it (and as I reread it I realize all the crack I must have been on while writing it.) Hopefully after not having done anything like this in almost 3 years, I will be able to end this fic in justice. Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed! :) Hopefully there will be an update in the near future (remember near future in my terms means like a month or so).

-CeruleanRipTide


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